Sweet Lands of Liberty
by Luciangrl
Summary: America was just protecting them, he needed to protect them. He had to keep them safe... And if no one knew of their existence, they could - and would - be out of harms' way. But what happens when Rave, a powerful enemy, breaks America to the point of asking Canada for help? What will happen when the states he kept well hidden for nearly 200yrs suddenly meet the rest of the world?
1. Intro

**Hey I hope you like my story! **

**Today's one on the most peaceful mornings I've had in months, I decide on a cold morning in March. Gilbert is still asleep upstairs with Kuma, and I am about to make pancakes and settle into a quiet, relaxing morning.  
My phone ringing dulls me out of my later plans, and I walk over and look at the caller ID. It's Alfred. God, he's so annoying sometimes, but I can't help but care for the idiot, and am always delighted to answer his weekly calls. This one, however… It was out of his normal schedule. This is way too early for him to be up.  
"Hello?" I answer.  
"...Mattie?" He whispers, coughing a little. "I... I need your help. Please, it's never been this bad…" I could hear the pain and throaty, stickiness in his voice. He's been crying.  
"What's wrong!?" I ask worriedly, before realizing over the phone is not the way to talk right now, especially if Alfred is in pain. "No, never mind! Where are you?"  
"I-I'm in Alaska."  
"Stay put, I'll be at your house in an hour!"  
"…Mattie?"  
"Yes?"  
"Please hurry, we need help soon. I can't care for her like this."  
I hang up the phone, turn off the stove, write Prussia a note, get into my car, and drive, trying not to question why he needs help, who 'her' is, and how the hell he will get to Alaska within the hour.**

I maneuver the car into his snow-sided, curvy driveway and run to the house. The front door is unlocked, which I don't find abnormal, as he is constantly in a state of ignorance and childish acts. As I make my way to the bedroom, I notice several baby things littering the floor – a purple rattle that's decorated with little giraffes and hippos, an empty bottle, a shredded open package of diapers that are scattered everywhere in a near halo around the empty bag - but I hardly give them a second glance, overcome with worry for my brother. I open the door to the master bedroom and am greeted by an iconic superhero t-shirt marinating in red, tossed in a heap on the floor, and move my eyes up to the blood covered bedding, the liquid soaking in, staining the light blue dinosaur sheets that are wrapped around the now ruined mattress. I nearly gag at the strange wafting scent- A combination of metallic, salty, and just a hint of, and I'll be blunt here, **. My brother, Alfred F. Jones, is haphazardly stretched across the bed, shirtless, looking beaten and sickly, holding something wrapped in a clean blanket as if whatever is bundled up will jump up and run away. The 'Land of The Free and Home of The Brave' looks utterly defeated.  
I walk over slowly, shocked, with no clue what had happened. I see a gash in his right shoulder. Well that explains the blood... My word, is that a baby? The thing in the blanket turns its sky-colored blue eyes to me, and I conclude that it is indeed an infant, girl if I have to guess. That explains the baby things but… Who is she? Where did she come from? Suddenly, Al notices me and, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking, says,  
"Alexie, she's Alexie Aurora Jones." He introduces, voice quiet and shaky.  
"Al… Where did she come from? Who is she? Why do you look and sound like you got hit by a truck? What's wrong?" I ask as urgent as possible with my small voice, still unsure of the situation.  
He turns to face me, every movement pained and slow, and replies in a voice just as rushed and informative, "Matt, not now. She needs to be taken care of first." He hands me Alexie. "I have diapers and formula in the next room over. Please clean her and be gentle. She's delicate." I give him a worried glance, but nod, and take her into the next room. I change her diaper, feed her a bottle of warm formula, and when she finally falls asleep I put her in a crib I easily locate. I return to Alfred, stopping only to grab the first aid kit from the bathroom, ready for an explanation on why there is a baby in his house, and why he is so badly wounded.


	2. Chapter 1

First thing I do when I reenter the room is lug Alfred up off of the soiled bed, and tell him to go take a shower.  
"Unless you need my help, which I am glad to give you. You smell like a rotten block of cheese." I order, and he whimpers, hobbling up before nearly falling back to the ground. His pants are just as demolished as the discarded shirt, and when I move to guide him to the bathroom, he shrugs me off, giving me a weak smile as he wobbles to the bathroom and shuts the door. "It might be better to take a bath instead!" I call through the hard wooden door. "You don't look in the best of condition to be standing on slippery porcelain!" I hear him groan, and after a moment of silence the sound of the tub beginning to fill with water echoes throughout the house. I gather the soiled-for-eternity shirt and bed sheets, placing them in the hamper. After a little bit of searching, I find a closet upstairs with linen and blankets, and lug some of the bedding down to Al's room, making his bed. Confused and worried, I sit down in a chair beside the bed and quietly hold the first aid kit I found in my search for bed sheets to my chest, thinking of all of the questions I'll need to ask America.  
He exits the bathroom, still bleeding as badly as earlier, and I tell him to slip on some boxers and sit on the bed. He complies, and I scoot forward, pulling out the needle and thread to sew up the gash. There's a complementary rag and pain killers in the box, and I give the pills to Alfred, and after cleaning the stab with peroxide (much to his complaining), I ask, "Both Alexie and you are taken care of now, eh? What happened?"  
Alfred shifts his body so I can bandage his wound. Although this made the job considerably easier, he is avoiding the question. I try again. "Al, who is that," I gesture towards the other room with my head, "and what happened?" Alfred waits until his cut is taken care of, then flexes his arm, jaw clenching with pain as a grimace crosses his features. I pull out the gauze to cover the cut. "Uh, I need to tell you something, but you have to swear you won't make trouble once I do..."  
"Why would I cause trouble?" I protest, but the gaze he flicks at me quiets my objections. "…Fine, but what does that have to do with anything?"  
"You have no idea…" He shifts again into a more comfortable upright position, and motions for me to relax. Once I finish dressing his wound, I get comfortable and wait for him to start.  
"Okay, okay… Where to begin? Well that," he points toward the next door across the hall from his opened door, "is my baby girl, Alaska." I tilt my head, confused.  
"What do you mean that's Alaska?" I say, giving a small chuckle of disbelief. "Alaska is a place… We're in Alaska!" He scratches his head with his good arm, like he's pondering something important.  
"I know, and I should have told you of all people, Canada." Now I'm worried… Alfred never calls me by my nation name, claiming it's 'too formal' for brothers. He sighs and continues with a small shake of his head, "I'm not sure how you'll take this, but… You're an uncle!" He gives me a sad, pitiful little grin. "…Surprise…?" He releases an awkward giggle of nervousness. I stare at him, raising an eyebrow dully.  
"Stop joking, Al. Did you get some human pregnant?"  
"Haha, very funny. No, I didn't. The thing is… My states are also personified. Let me explain. You stay in touch with Mother Earth, right?"  
"Haven't seen or talked to her in nearly a century. Why?"  
"Hm, I talk to her, like, every couple years..." My jaw drops in astonishment. "Doesn't everyone?" He asks, looking confused at my reaction.  
I give an instant, "No!"  
"Well, she came to me - once the revolution was over, of course - and told me something. She said that my children are 'special'. I asked her what she meant, being an immortal being with no girlfriend, not to mention kids! She shook her head and told me that she was talking about a different type of children. She had an infant in her arms, and told me that it was Delaware. She told me that personifications were being born for each of my states and that they are my children."  
I wear a look of sheer awe but gesture for him to continue. "Dude, don't sweat it! I was just as freaked out! Anyways, she said that biologically they're my kids. The way I understand it they were 'born' using something along the lines of magical asexual reproduction. She left the kid with me and disappeared without another word." Now I'm stunned.  
"You can't be serious, she left you? Alone? With a helpless kid?!" I ask incredulously.  
"Yep! No instructions, no human name, just 'Oh guess what? This is your kid, bye!' So I took her home with me in shock, and Delaware obviously needed a name so…" he points to an album on a dresser across the room. I go and fetch it, handing it to him and he pauses, tracing the leather cover with his fingers. The album shows wear and tear, and on the cover is one word, all in ornate lettering.  
'Family'.  
He opens it to the first page and shows it to me. "This is my first little girl, my first baby, Rose Lynn Jones." The pages have several pictures on them, including a few small painted ones, and everything is organized in chronological order and dated. I am completely surprised. My brother is the messiest person I know, but it's clear he has kept this safe and organized for a number of centuries.  
"Oh Al, she's lovely. But, do you really have 50 of them?" I ask, and Alfred chuckles at my last remark.  
"Yeah, I guess I do. But I'll tell you about them later, first you gotta help me! This is important!"  
"What's wrong? You still haven't told me that."  
"Alaska, she's in danger and I'm too weak to do anything about it."  
"Weak? What do you mean? You have more allies now than ever, and from a neutral standpoint, you just won the Cold War without mass bloodshed. How are you too weak to do anything? What happened to your shoulder, and what's wrong with that little angel?"


	3. Chapter 2

**Authors note I don't own anything except the story and the states cause I'm makeing them up as I go along~ please review!**

-POV change!- America

Chapter 2

This is not my day, heck this isn't my week! First little baby Alaska finally appears not even 2days after I finally end this friggin Cold War with Russia. Next day Mother Nature shows up and says Rave is back on my trail! I'll say it again, this is NOT my week. With Rave back on my trail I had to get Mother Nature to use her magic and replicate me, 49times, fuuuunnn times but I had no choice the states needed protection and I can't exactly leave Alaska alone. Thank god Hawaii appeared when I claimed her territory I have my hands full enough. When I replicate I have to be extra careful because I'm reduced to only about 1 1/2 the strength of a human. Then today I was attacked by Rave that monster I got him to retreat but I was so broken down I was forced to call Canada the hero forced to call backup how unheroic. I've kept my babies safe and hidden from the world for nearly 200+ years.

When I finally got rid of him I called Mattie. By the time he got here I was weak, like beyond out of it. I was laying on my bed Alaska on my chest I don't remember much before he came in. I know I told him to take care of Alaska, and then when he left I took a nap. I woke up a little before he came back I was finally with it enough to explain. Bro's got this worried look on his face and I don't exactly blame him, three words usually used to describe me are kind, egotistic, and energetic but I hardly fit that in my current state.

-time lapse-

"Oh Al, she's Beautiful. But do, do you really have 50?"

I laughed,"Yeah, I guess I do. But I'll tell you about them later, first you gotta help me this is important!"

"What's wrong you still haven't told me that."

"Alaska, she's in danger and the hero Is too weak do do anything about it."

"Weak? What do you mean? You have more allies now than ever. How are you to weak to do anything? What happened to your shoulder, and what's wrong with that little angel?"

"I'm not quite sure how to explain this, I don't suppose you could just go back to your house and pretend none of this ever happened?"

He freaken punched me! "No! All this has gone far enough! You've barely stayed awake the entire time I've been here! I need to know what happened here and what's wrong." Then the phone rang. I have never been happier to answer the phone. Thank you uncle Alexander! I grabbed the phone on the nightstand sporting a (weak) cocky grin. "Hello?"

"Dad? That you?" A small voice on the other end asked. I recognized it as upstate New York.

"Yeah it's me what's wrong? Are you and your sister ok? Claire you are with Alice right?"

"Yeah and your clone was with us at my place but, there was a problem and it suddenly vanished. What's going on daddy?"

"It's ok, just hang tight everything will be ok the clone just timed out."

"Oh ok love you bye."

I hung up the phone, it took a lot to keep calm on the phone. I sighed louder than I should have.

"Your exhausted, will everyone and everything be safe if you take a nap? You can explain all this when you wake up. I can take care of Alexie."

"...Thanks Mattie I need it" so I did just that and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 3

**POV-AMERICA!**

This is not my day. Hell, this isn't my week! First, little baby Alaska finally appeared, that sure as heck took long enough! I used nearly every ounce of power i had to get her out of that state of suspended animation. She's been like that since the Cold War I don't care if she's immortal or not that's too long. Next day, Mother Nature showed up and said Rave is back on my trail! With Rave after me I had to get Mother Nature to use her magic and replicate me forty-nine times so I can watch over all of my kids! I had no choice, the states need protection and I can't exactly leave Alaska alone. Thank God Hawaii appeared when I claimed her territory, I have my hands full enough. When I replicate, I have to be extra careful because I'm reduced to only about one and a half of the amount of strength of an average human. I have more than 49 kids but it would be to much of a strain so only one clone per earlier today I was attacked by Rave, that monster! I got him to retreat but I was so broken down I was forced to call Canada. The hero, forced to call backup! How wimpy! I've kept my babies safe and hidden from the world for nearly two hundred years.  
When I finally got rid of him I called Mattie. By the time he got here, I was weak, beyond out of it. I was lying on my bed with Alaska on my chest. I don't remember much before he came in. I know I told him to take care of Alaska, and then when he left, I took a little nap. I woke up a little before he came back and he forced me to bathe. It was hard, but I sufficed, growling and clenching my teeth as I lifted my hands up to wash my hair and my bloody, bruised, battered body… I got out quickly, and sat down in front of Mattie, letting him patch me up, good as new. My thoughts and brain finally began recalling information, enough to explain everything. Bro now has this worried look on his face, and I don't exactly blame him. Three words usually used to describe me are kind, egotistic, and energetic. I hardly fit that in my current state.  
"Oh Al, she's Beautiful. But do, do you really have 50?" Mattie asks, stunned.  
I laugh. "Yeah, I guess I do. But I'll tell you about them later, first you gotta help me. This is important!"  
"What's wrong? You still haven't told me that."  
"Alaska, she's in danger and the hero is too weak to do anything about it."  
"Weak? What do you mean? You have more allies now than ever. How are you too weak to do anything? What happened to your shoulder, and what's wrong with that little angel?"  
"I'm not quite sure how to explain this…" I say awkwardly, "I don't suppose you could just go back to your house and pretend none of this ever happened?"  
A quick movement from his side lets me know that he flung a punch at my good arm. I don't feel it. "No!" He exclaims, enraged. "All this has gone far enough! You've barely stayed awake the entire time I've been here! I need to know what happened here and what's wrong!"  
The phone rings, and I have never been happier to answer the phone. Thank you, Uncle Alexander, for inventing the phone! I grab the phone on the nightstand, sporting a (weak) cocky grin. "Hello?"  
"Dad? That you?" A small voice on the other end asks. I recognize it as upstate New York.  
"Yeah it's me, what's wrong? Are you and your sister okay? Claire you are with Alice, right?"  
"Yeah, and your clone was with us at my place but there was a problem and it suddenly vanished. What's going on Daddy?"  
"It's okay, just hang tight. Everything will be okay, the clone just timed out."  
"Oh okay." She reluctantly agrees. "I love you, bye."  
"Love you too, baby." I hang up the phone, surprised at how much it took to keep calm while talking to Claire. I sigh louder than I should have.  
"You're exhausted…" Mattie states quietly, reassuring me that I wasn't just in denial about everything. "…Will everything and everyone be safe if you take a nap? You can explain everything when you wake up. I can take care of Alexie." He offers, and for once, I am extremely happy to have someone there for me to help with the kids.  
"...Thanks Mattie." I whisper, already leaning back, halfway asleep, "I need it." The world closes into darkness, and I fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 4

**This one's all in one POV Canada!**

It's around 7:30 at night. Alexie has been keeping me company on the second floor. I expect Papa and the others to arrive soon, but what has me worried is Alfred still hasn't woken up. Worse than that, when I change his bandages he's always tossing and turning, like he's having a terrible nightmare. I can't imagine what he's dreaming of, but I hope he wakes up soon.  
Presently Alexie is lying on a blanket, smiling at her mobile. It's not a new one. In fact, when I saw he actually kept it, I was touched. Alfred and I were not always the personifications of America and Canada. Once upon a time, we were just children, we thought. Ordinary children.

Me and my brother have been together for as long as I can remember. Wandering over the lands we called our own, and sometimes a nice lady would play with us. We called her Mommy, but we knew she wasn't our Mother. We've been alive for many years, but whenever we visit tribes they call us two winters each. They call our 'Mommy' Native America. I loved playing in the Northern lands, Al preferred the South, but loved to explore the west. We were exploring North one time and saw a weird looking ship. The ship landed and a nice man who called himself Denmark said 'Hello' but soon they left. Shortly after that, Mommy came to play, and told us that she wouldn't be able to be with us much longer. She told us to protect each other, and remember our past. She said we would never be lonely if we stayed together. She gave us each two gifts. I revived my baby polar bear and a carved maple leaf. Alfred was given a carved star and a promise that he would grow up to be 'special'. I never realized that baby polar bears were not supposed to be able to talk, but I named him Kuma and he took care of us. We were called something different by everyone who met us, so we didn't have actual names yet. In winter, Kuma would keep us warm and make sure we were well fed. Nowadays, the reason Kuma never remembers my name is because when I first got him, I didn't have one.  
Years passed, seasons came and went, foreign people started to come. We were living on our own because people started shunning us. We had lived in the same area since Mommy left, and after some seasons, they thought we were bad luck. They said that it wasn't right that we never grew up. They were scared of us. Then one day that changed, Al wandered off and met England and France. They told us we could live together with them, and we wouldn't be lonely anymore. One day we showed Papa France our toys, and he smiled gently at us. He carved us each a mobile of wood and made our toys the centerpieces. He hung them in a corner of each of our rooms, so we would always be able to remember our past. It was the first home we ever knew, but those mobiles left a strong message. 'Remember your past and look towards your future'.  
England was actually the one who educated us. He taught us lessons of the real world. He explained what we are and taught us navigation. He taught us to draw and read maps, then he showed us the lands we represent on maps. We learned what it meant to be a country, and we started to grow up. We were split apart when we were both 4, physically. Papa France took me and raised me as a French colony. Before I left, Alfred and I exchanged mobiles with the childish promise that we would always remember each other, as long as we kept them safe. I was reunited with him at the age of 7, but we kept each other's mobile. Later in life, it became more of an unspoken pact between brothers, but after a while they faded into a relic of the past.

I wonder if all his children were raised smiling at my wooden mobile. The thought brings a smile to my face. I wonder what happened to 'him'. Whoever, whatever did this to him will pay. I look at the clock, 7:45. I have time to change his bandages and wake him up before everyone shows up. I redo his bandages on his shoulder and shake him awake.  
"So, finally awake?" I whisper as his eyes slowly flicker open, adjusting to the light.  
"Can't you let sleeping brothers lie?" He groans, slowly rolling over.  
"It's almost 8pm! But Al… I have some questions."  
"Figures." He grunts, before flinging himself up. "Alright Mattie, who did you call and what do they know?"  
"How did you...?"  
"Dude, we're nearly identical brothers. If I were you I would have called somebody. But seriously, who did you call and what did you tell them?"  
"Arthur, Francis, and Gilbert. They know nothing, but will be arriving shortly, and I think we all deserve an explanation."  
"Dude!" Alfred shouts accusingly. "Why not just call Japan, Austria, and Spain, add them to the mix! Dude, why did you call so many people?! I kept the states a closely guarded secret for a reason! It took centuries before I told you about them! Why them?"  
I try to calm him down. "Al, this is serious, and you can't expect you and I to fix it by ourselves. I called Francis because he knows more about this stuff than I do, and told him to call Arthur and bring him. I called Gilbert because he knows you, he trained you, and he can tell if you're lying-"  
"-Such faith in me-" Al sighs, flinging back onto the bed with a slight wince at his hurt arm.  
"- and I called France because he's family."  
"…Fine, but when do they get here?"  
Just then, the doorbell rang.  
"Apparently right now. I'll put Alexie in the nursery before letting them in but you will have to explain it."


	6. Chapter 5

gh... I wake up to find out Mattie called Francis, Arthur, and Gilbert! I realize he didn't know, but did he ever stop to think about why I never told people about the states?! Well, at least he is putting Alaska in her nursery before letting them in. But now I have to explain everything to four countries, and because one of them is Gilbert, I can't lie my way out about it! Curse my luck!  
"Mattie, if you're really gonna make me explain, at least get me some Motrin! Bathroom cabinet, top shelf."  
"Fine." he gives me the pills, and I quickly swallow them. Fake energy is better than no energy. I hear the door open, and a very worried Brit runs into my room.  
"What the hell happened!? What's wrong?!" The moment he sees me, Arthur gets quieter, to a whisper. "…Bloody hell, lad, who did this?"  
France enters next. "Amérique ce qui s'est passé?" It's a good thing I speak French, because I don't think he'll be able to manage English for a bit.  
"Hey guys," I greet, clearing my croaky voice as I sit up. "What's up?"  
Prussia snickers. "America, my little buddy, you've got some explaining to do."  
"Hey Prussia, my awesome friend! Any chance of you taking Canada and them away without an explanation?" I grin, begging him to relent and take them away, far away, so I won't have to do this.  
"None whatsoever, dude! But first, what's with the baby toys?" Alexie starts crying. Great timing, little girl. You just love to be in the spotlight, don't you?  
"Well, I don't have much choice do I? Matt, go get her and make her a bottle. I'll feed her while I explain." Matt leaves to get Alexie. "Uh, okay, Francis, Arthur, Gilbert, do any of you stay in touch with Mother Nature?"  
All three say 'No' in unison.  
"Well, long story short, apparently I'm lucky, 'cause I talk with her fairly often. Anyhow, all of my states are personified, and most of my territories. I've managed to raise all of them and keep them hidden from the world. Right now, I have 50 children." Mattie brings the little girl in, dressed in a little onesie. "This is Alexie, or Alaska. Mother Nature just dropped her off about a week ago." I hold Alexie close and started feeding her. "Biologically, they are all my children, and no, I didn't get anyone pregnant. Mother Nature said they were made by a form of magical asexual reproduction. The reason I've kept them hidden is because of Rave." I can't help the solemn look on my face and I hug Alexie close to me, afraid for a moment that Rave is in the room, about to take her away and hurt her like he hurt Frankie.  
"Rave has been my enemy for centuries. I don't even know exactly what he is, but I know this he's powerful. He first caused me trouble in Salem Massachusetts, and was the cause of the Salem Witch Trials. He nearly killed Madison- Massachusetts, and when we first fought, it took all I had to beat him. He retreated, but I was a mess. A bit later, he caught me off guard, and managed to kill one of my children. He killed my first boy, Frankie. He was the state of Franklin. When he died, so did his state. After that, I became paranoid. I kept them hidden and tried to keep them safe. It didn't always work. When Mother Nature dropped off Alaska, she warned me that Rave had returned, and he attacked me yesterday. I just barely got him to retreat, but-" I gesture towards my bandaged shoulder, "-I took a lot of damage and had to call Canada. That's about it, I think. Now you know." I take a cloth out of the bedside table and burp Alexie, waiting for their reaction.  
"You've been dealing with this since the Witch Trial? Mon cher, I understand why you did it, but you should have told someone."  
"Bloody hell lad, and I thought I was overprotective."  
Mattie gives me a tight hug.  
"Mein Gott, America. Did Frankie ever come back? Does Rave have a weakness? How many children have you lost?"  
"I've lost as many as you have, Prussia. I did all in my power to keep Frankie alive, but he never did come back. I have never found Rave's weakness, if he has one. The only thing is, he never picks a fight he can't win. For example, he would never fight me when I was at war. I hadn't had to deal with him for the entirety of the Cold War, but after every war, he comes back with a vengeance. Mother Nature will replicate me, one for each of my states, so I can protect 's not to say I only have 50 children but last time i tried more clones than that it didn't end well. The spell leaves me weakened, and times out if I take any damage. The longer I maintain the clones, the less strength I have. Rave normally waits two days between attacks, but not always, so I've been maintaining forty-eight clones for the past day and a half. One disappeared before Matt arrived due to blood loss."  
"That's it! You can't do this anymore!" Arthur finally cuts in, crossing his arms and furrowing his thick eyebrows in determination. "Alfred F. Jones, you're coming to my mansion with your children, you will release your clones, and you will most certainly let us help you!" England says violently.  
"…You'd do that? Just suddenly take in more than 50, and me? I'll be ridiculously weak when I undo the spell, I won't even be able to walk for a few days. Are you sure?" I ask hoarsely.  
"Of course I'm bloody sure, and it's not like all your kids are infants! They won't be any trouble!"  
"I'm coming too." Matthew adds.  
"Oui, me as well, mon cher." Francis continues.  
"I'll stay in Canada, and take care of Kuma. Okay with you Birdie?" Gilbert decides, turning to a grinning Mattie.  
"Thanks Gil."  
"Fine, but I'm not releasing my clones until my children are safe." I mention, coming to a conclusion with a small smile. "So, who's up for a road trip?"


	7. Chapter 6

**yo these were originally all one chapter but the POV changes so much i split it up enjoy**

POV-Canada

We decided it would be best to wait until morning to leave. France invaded the kitchen and made dinner. Alfred nearly passed out after dinner, and England insisted on staying with him, so Arthur took the night shift. Alfred assured him that Alexie would sleep through the night, but still, Arthur was worried. I slept in the second floor guest room with Kuma, and Gilbert and Francis each took a room in the attic. I found it weird that there actually were enough clean bed sheets and blankets for all the beds. I located his calendar and placed a note to pay the housekeeper on this months page.  
The next morning, Alfred was still in a beaten condition, but he's walking around, at least. When I went to replace the bandages on his shoulder, I found that the bleeding stopped sometime last night. I figured this was as good a time as any to ask a few questions.  
"Hey, Al… Why is it that Alaska only appeared a week ago if she's been a state since nineteen-fifty-nine?"  
"Well," Alfred replied, "Mother Earth was afraid of what would happen if I brought her up in the extreme state of paranoia surrounding the Cold War..." He paused, and a small sigh escaped his mouth. "And… I was afraid that Russia would find out and try to gain custody. So we agreed that it was all around safer to keep her suppressed magically so she wouldn't be born or appear until the Cold War had ended. We had her suppressed until now, nearly fifty years after becoming a state."  
"But the cold war ended years ago!"

"Magically suppressing a personification from coming into existence isn't exactly an easy task. When the 'war' ended there were side effects it took a long time to revive her from the stasis state she was in. I was trying my hardest, it just worked out that we couldn't retrieve her until 2013."

I nodded, before another question entered my mind. "What about Hawaii?"

"She was born before World War II. Why do you think I was so brutal after Pearl Harbor?"  
Once again, I nod in agreement. "That's understandable. But Al, how are we going to pick up all your kids? All of us that are just here won't even fit in the biggest car you have!"  
"Mattie…" I small grin of excitement appears on Alfred's face. "It's time I showed you my pride and joy! A wonder of modern mechanics!"  
He called someone, and shortly afterwards, a large tour bus drove up.  
"Al… what is that?" I whispered. Sure, I had seen buses before, my hockey teams all arrived to stadiums on them. But… This one was huge.  
"This… Is my masterpiece."At this point, everyone had gathered in the driveway, staring at the monstrosity blocking the desolate road.  
"Well dudes, if you're serious enough, this is our ride." He gestured toward the bus. "Be glad this was already in Alaska for repairs. This is the Jones's family bus." At this point, he begins walking towards the frightening metal lump, pulling a narrator voice out of thin air. "With a set of monster tires, a lift kit, upgraded suspension, and an absolute top speed of one-hundred-and-twenty miles per hour, it is easily one of the biggest, baddest buses on the road today. Built this baby from the ground up, and it has all the bells and whistles physically possible. It's basically a modified Double Decker bus, like the ones you have, Iggy. First floor has comfortable seating for 60. Second floor has a Kitchen, a Lounge with plenty of movies and video games and a television, and three full bathrooms, all equipped with showers. Throughout the bus is the best sound system money can buy, with monthly upgrades. All the windows are bullet proof, and the sides are armored, for upmost safety. There are weapons, cash, and a safe in the back trunk, and a PA system connected to the speakers. Also, the first ten seats are specialized for children. More airbags than you can count, and its four-wheel drive. So boys… What do you think?" He was now leaning against his bus, if you can even call it that. It also sported a flashy patriotic expensive looking paint job.  
"When on earth did you build this?" I ask, voice shaking.  
"I started it after World War II. I needed a project to keep me occupied and have been upgrading ever since." Alfred explains, rubbing the sides lovingly.  
"Bloody hell, lad, I suppose this will do the trick." Arthur relents after a moment.  
Gilbert gives a low whistle. "Dude, how could you keep this awesome-** vehicle from your awesome friend, the awesome me?"  
"Simple. I built this baby to take trips with my family that I was determined to keep a secret. Alaska wasn't gonna appear until Russia and I got everything sorted, so I started traveling with the others. How would it look if I showed you this beauty, and then had to explain all the gadgets and gizmos on the inside?"  
"What does it's inside look like, mon cher?" Francis interjects, a heavy French accent dripping from his words.  
"Come on, I'll show you! But first, Francis this will be your only warning on this trip. In regards to my kids, most of the states are female, and physically, many are fifteen through eighteen years old. Most - if not all - speak more than three languages, including French. Just in case you're wondering, I can fluently speak twelve. But if you dare lay one finger on any one of my princesses in a perverted manor, so help me, I will point every nuke I have at France. Do you understand?"  
"Mon cher you misunderstand! Angleterre is the only one for me!" Francis denies, sending a small wink towards a growling and blushing Arthur.  
"I'm aware, but some of my kids have had a few less-than-pleasant experiences that I've never quite been able to forgive myself for. Also, my kids stuff is most likely in their seats so if you wanna sit down take an empty seat, ok?"  
"Sure." I agree, hearing the others reply also.  
"Ja."  
"Oui."  
"Alright."  
The inside of the bus was spacious, comfortable, and clean- well, mostly clean. Most of the seats are personalized, but the only flag visible is the American flag. Some chairs have embroidered maps on the headrests. I walked over to two that both had New York maps. The needlework is amazing! The quality would make England green with envy. America came over and traced its outline.  
"These took the twins several weeks each. They made them just after World War I."  
"I can't wait to meet them." I respond quietly, a small smile forming on my lips.  
He wandered off, and I looked up. What I saw made me stifle a few chuckles. There were several sheets of bus rules posted everywhere.  
'Bus Rules:  
-No Political Debate  
-No Violence  
-No Weapons  
-No Talk of The Civil War  
Break a rule and so help me I will cut your funding!'  
Now that was cute. We got off the bus and gathered our stuff. Prussia and Kuma took my car back to my house, and France called the rental company, who are going to pick up Francis's and Arthur's car after we hit the road. I packed a bag for Al and he packed one for Alexie. England and France never unpacked so they just loaded their stuff onto the bus. Alfred tried to insist on driving but I managed to get there first.  
"Aw, you're no fun!" He pouted, crossing his arms.  
"I don't care. Your shoulder is still in a terrible condition, and we have to drive through Canada, so I'm driving." When everyone was ready and on the bus, we hit the road.


	8. Chapter 7

It's great to have my ride back! Thank goodness the wheels didn't get too flat until I got to Alaska! Everyone is super pumped to get on the road, or is that just me...? Anyway, I'm glad to see all my kids! I haven't had them all together in quite a while! It's going to be troublesome introducing them to the world. I've avoided it for so long… But it's not like I'm taking them to a world meeting or anything, I'm introducing them to my family. Some of my kids I can hardly wait to show off! Others, well… I'd rather them keep hidden forever. While Mattie saw Prussia off and everyone got their stuff loaded, I made some calls.  
"Hello?" A small voice answered, causing me to grin at the twinkly tone.  
"Hey Olivia, it's Daddy. Can you get Lucy, Cali, Alicia, Robert, and Sarah, and meet me at Whitney's house? I'll explain a little later." I request, and I can almost hear her nodding.  
"Okay, Daddy."  
"Thanks, baby. I'll see you soon." I hung up and walked to the bus. We all got in and Mattie stole the keys right out of my hands! The nerve! He announced that he'll drive until we get to the continental US. That's no fun, but my shoulder does still hurt… So I guess it's okay. I'm currently upstairs in the lounge sitting on the couch.  
"Now that we have some time to kill, how about you tell us about your kids, lad?" Arthur asks curiously.  
"Ok what do you wanna know?" I ask, turning to him.  
"You have fifty of them, correct?"  
"Wrong."  
"Wrong?" Arthur scoffs, appalled. "But you have fifty states!"  
"True, but I have fifty-three kids. Fifty-four if you include Frankie."  
"Oh… Tell us about Washington. That is the first state we'll drive through, isn't it?"  
"That's right!" I went over to the window, shutting the blinds, and pulled down a map of the continental US, like the ones that are in schools. Then, I pulled out an extendable pointer. "To save time on this expedition I called some of my kids and they're going to meet us at Whitney's house. Whitney is Washington's human name. Whitney Lake Jones. She's physically 16. The house we are driving to is twenty minutes outside of Seattle. My girl has a ranch there and a few pretty horses. She is very well mannered and loves coffee. Her state has a lot of wacky laws but so do most of my states. There are over forty thousand miles of rivers and streams and more than eight thousand lakes in Washington. She loves boating and water sports. She is five-foot-six and a very sociable person. The most noticeable thing about her is her love of coffee though. She can distinguish good and bad coffee like you with wine Francis." I explain easily. I know her like the back of my hand.  
"Oui, but can any of your kin tell a certain wine from another with just one sip?" Francis interjects, a small smirk forming on his lips.  
"Clara and Alice both, as well as Cali, Leila, and Victoria, to name a few. I can't myself, but as my girls say, 'I've never been one for high society. I'd rather be building something'."  
"Wow, yet somehow I'm not surprised." Arthur mumbles.  
"Yeah. By the way, Clara and Alice are New York." I add.  
"Which one?" Arthur questions.  
"Both, they're identical twins. Cali is California, Leila is Hawaii, and Victoria is Vermont." I pointed again to the map. "Earlier, while you were busy packing, I called a few of my kids to meet us at Whitney's house. I also got permission to use Air Force 1, so once we get to Massachusetts we can drive down to Florida and fly first class to England. I'm going to have my kids gather either at the house of someone we're passing through or meet us in Florida." Both France and England wore looks of astonishment.  
"You… you actually put a good amount of thought into this, didn't you?" Arthur asks.  
"Yeah, I guess I did. Rave has done too much for me to mess around anymore."  
"Cher, what did he do to you?" Francis put his hand on my shoulder and I flinched. I tried my best to hide it, like I usually do.  
"To me? The hero!" I scoff. "As if!" I went over to the intercom, speaking into it slowly. "So Mattie, now that you know the plan, mind telling me how long until we're in the US?"  
"How did you...?"  
"The light's been on since I started talking. Honestly, how dense do you people think I am?" I question disappointingly.  
"Ah… Oh, well four hours 'til we get to your daughter's house, if I'm reading this map and address correctly."  
"Just get us in state and I'll drive." I explain.  
"Arthur? Francis?"  
"Let him drive." Arthur responds.  
"Oui, it's ok." Francis agrees.  
"Fine, I'll stop at the border rest stop and we can change drivers." Mattie relents.  
"Good." I answer, clicking the PA off.  
I worry about that boy, I really do. I've seen sides of him I never thought he had. He cares for his family… He truly just wants to protect them. Normally, the only time you see the boy being serous is in the midst of a battle. It reminds me of my old empire days, how protective I was of my colonies. He reminds me of the two of us once upon a time, long ago. But this Rave person, that has me worried. In all my years watching him grow up three things have always alluded me. First, the witch trials he had, what was the cause of them? Second, how could he end two world wars without serious injury, but on occasion show up to meetings obviously trying to hide a wound? And third, what happened to the lad when I left him behind?

~*~

Arthur's Log  
August 14, 1623  
Today I returned to America and was met with several surprising things. Alfred has grown so much! He now appears the age of 16 or so. It's barely noticed, but his smiles seem forced, and he flinches at contact. I truly worry for the lad. His heart will be the end of him. I hope he goes back to normal soon. I return home next week.

~*~

"How did you...?" I ask, halting momentarily before continuing to press on the gas, cruising down the road.  
"The light's been on since I started talking. Honestly, how dense do you people think I am?" Alfred asks disappointingly.  
"Ah… Oh, well four hours 'til we get to your daughter's house if I'm reading this map and address correctly."  
"Just get us in state and I'll drive." He orders.  
"Arthur? Francis?" I plead, not agreeing with him driving. He's still hurt.  
"Let him drive." Arthur insists.  
"Oui, it's ok." Francis adds.  
"Fine, I'll stop at the border rest stop and we can change drivers." I reluctantly agree, pulling into a truck bay at the rest stop and moving upstairs.  
"Okay guys I'll drive now you dudes' just chillax up here." Alfred went downstairs, and I waited until I heard the engine start again. Once we got on the highway I unplugged the intercom system.  
"Time to compare notes on Alfred, eh?" I ask quietly, trying to project my voice.  
"Is it just me or does he flinch whenever someone tries to touch him?" Arthur asks.  
"Non, I noticed it too. His smiles seem forced as well, no?" Francis responds, sipping on a glass of wine.  
"I don't think we realize what exactly we've gotten ourselves into, chaps." Arthur sighs.  
"And Alfred is only telling us the bare minimum about everything." I agree.  
"This is problematic, but I have an idea! His children!" Francis inputs, sitting upright.  
"What? I don't get it." Arthur says, confused. I nod in agreement.  
"You see, mon amour, he is trusting us with his children! They obviously know the whole story, oui? So all we need to do is ask a few of them and compare the stories!" Francis explains happily.  
"I get it! Each of his kids will help fill in another piece of this puzzle!" I whisper in astonishment, staring at Francis.  
"That is correct mon petit ange."


	9. Chapter 8

**ok the pov for the first part of that last chapter was america btw and this chapter starts with Pov america as well enjoy and please review~**

They may have unplugged the intercom but they never ditched the listening device I put under the couch before I took the wheel. I heard everything. So, they caught on and they plan on asking my kids about what's going on? I don't exactly blame them. I'm certainly not giving straight answers. I told them the bottom of the barrel, bare minimum about everything. Honestly, Rave has been fighting, abusing, haunting, and pursuing me since 1691. It wouldn't be far from the truth to say we're old rivals. He has been screwing with me since before the French and Indian war. It never got excessively violent until a good few years after the Revolutionary War when he killed Frankie. I'm not saying he didn't cross the line and do something deplorable before then, but… that's the first instance where I went bonkers over something he caused.  
Mattie has always been able to see magic. I have too, but it scared me so I never let on. Even when we were small and the two of us encountered magic, I would never reveal that I could see that stuff too. Later on that ability got stronger, and I got better at dealing with it. I've always been the hero, the jock, the ignorant dorky kid- and it's not exactly hard to play the idiot. It's common knowledge I'm terrified of spirits, so I can be the worst liar on earth and nobody suspects a thing. The hardest part is trying to pull one over on Prussia. He actually found me after a bout with Rave before. He knows more than he lets on, but at least he respects my privacy. I have major respect for that dude, that's why I'm so chill about him dating Mattie. Ex-nation or not, he's one of very few friends with knowledge that could come back to haunt me. I looked down at the time, ten-thirty in the morning. I made good time! We'll arrive by eleven! I wonder who's already there?  
"Hey guys? I'm stopping just up here to make a couple quick phone calls. You can wander around if you want."  
"Okay, when do you suppose we will arrive?" Mattie asks.  
"Eleven, tops." I pulled into the rest stop took a roll of quarters and made my way to the pay phone. I called Whitney.  
"Hello?" She greets.  
"Hey, it's me. I'll be arriving in thirty minutes. Just wanted to know who's already there."  
"Oh, Cali has been here a while, Lucy, Olivia and Robert just started a game of blackjack, Alicia and Sarah are doing their nails. Who are you bringing?" She asks it all quickly and rushed and her words shoot out of the phone and into my face in a flash of mumbles and laughs.  
"Well darling, first, enough coffee! How many cups have you had today?" I pointedly avoid the question for right now.  
"I'm the home of Starbucks!" She interjects, laughing. "There is never enough coffee, coffee, coffee! I'm on cup 6!"  
"Can you put Alicia on?"  
"Yeah no problem." After a few muffled words, a thick Hispanic accent sounds through the earpiece.  
"Hi Daddy, what's up? Can I have another tank? Mexicans keep sneaking in… Also are you sure I'm related to Robert? How do I know he's not conspiring with Mexico?"  
"Because we told you, and none of you have even met Mexico! I'd rather like to keep it that way. Back on subject, I need you to keep Whitney away from her coffee. Can you manage that until I get there? Where are the clones?" I ask.  
"Oh… About that, Lucy was run off the road yesterday...By Rave." Alicia explains quietly.  
"Is she ok!?" I ask worriedly.  
"She's fine, just a broken leg from the crash. Her clone also disappeared after she got out of the emergency room."  
"…What about the others?"  
"They're fine, if not a bit paranoid. All of them insisted on perimeter duty."  
"Okay, get everyone and put me on speaker." I hear a few buttons pushed.  
"Done."  
"Hey guys how you holding up?" I ask.  
"We're fine Dad, who do we get to meet?" A voice I recognize as Lucy asks.  
"Ha, well, I'm in the family bus and I've got a surprise! Not only do you get to meet three nations, but we're going to pick up everybody and fly to England for a while!" I hear a few excited catcalls and giggles before another voice perks up.  
"Sweet! Who are we meeting?!"  
"First, I get to introduce you to my twin brother Canada but to you guys it's Uncle Matthew or Uncle Mattie. You're also meeting France, call him Francis. If he tries anything you don't like, tell me and I'll beat him like a rug. Last, your meeting England you can call him Uncle Arthur."  
"Whoa." One voice answers in awe.  
"Cool!" Another voice chimes in.  
"When do you get here?"  
"I'll be there in thirty minutes, see you soon." After saying our goodbyes, I hung up the phone and went back to the bus to my awaiting group.


	10. Chapter 9

**Told ya I'd update soon time to meet some peoples i'll nag my artist and hopefully have new cover art soon.**

Not cool, Dad, I think to myself bitterly, not cool. So what if you're finally introducing us to the world? So what if Rave is back? Well, no, I condescend myself, we're actually worried about that... But was it necessary to sick Alicia on us!? Little-Miss-Border-Patrol stashed everything! She even went as far as to swipe our exclusive frequent membership card, our Barista 2000 - it's like the Brew Master 3000 but can't do frappes, pitifully - and stole our coffee pot. She's a psycho! We even made a Starbucks run this morning after I came back from night fishing, but most of the drinks disappeared when everyone started showing up. They thought it was alright to drink our coffee?!  
We had fresh fish for breakfast, thanks to me. It's now 10:45 in the morning, and Dad won't be here for fifteen minutes… Perfect! In our bedroom I glance around, looking for something. Our room isn't really anything special, neither is our house, really. We have a simple one story home on the edge of the suburbs, just the way we – Winona, Wendy, and I – like it. It's an hour outside of Seattle - with traffic - but we don't mind, mainly because that's the way Winnie prefers. Winnie is one-third of me; the cold-hearted, hockey-loving, bitchy, psycho, western part of Washington. Wendy is another third, with a love for the outdoors and farming. I myself am a little in-between, liking the sun, but more of a fan of the quiet buzzing of nature, rather than white water rapids or completely indoor activities only.  
Anywho, there's a few shops down the block, and a Starbucks within walking distance, for my current state of mind. We have a relatively small front yard, but behind our house, we own several dozen acres. You can't really tell just by looking though; directly behind our house is an almost-forest of tall, old trees. On our property there's a lake, two ponds, and a small river. Whenever I'm not fishing on them – being the only one of us that enjoys the hobby - I let the locals use them. Figure skating is almost as much fun as hockey in the winter, and when Winnie emerges, she'll do both on the slick, frozen water. Wendy will water-ski and raft on the water in the summer.  
Golly, am I getting off task.  
Our room is splashed with monochromatic blue hues, and we had a mural done of the Cascade mountain skyline. We also have several posters of famous people from our state, like Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Nathan Adrian… Not to mention our small bookcase of the autobiographies of them, and of others. We have a small addiction to writers (myself), rock stars (Winnie), and sports o small snow globes sit on top of the bookcase, under a book we were reluctant to get, but felt the need to, because it was set in Washington; Twilight. We also have desk lamp that we made ourselves out of coffee cups (Coffee is one of the only things all three of us enjoy), and I quietly marvel it for a moment, before reaching in the inside of the lampshade. Found it! I grasp the small rectangle of plastic duck-taped to the underside. Emergency $50 gift card. I slide the gift card into my wallet and pack my suitcase. I look at my alarm clock, reading the 10:50 from the bright red LED bulbs. Damn, that took longer than I wanted. With Daddy's crazy driving he'll be here any time now. Daddy is always worried about our little addiction, something about the combination of his weird hero complex and the fact that caffeine is technically a drug makes us almost want to listen to him and get off the drink. I am mildly worried about Rave but I'm lucky I've never directly been attacked by him. That reminds me…  
Unlike our siblings, we can't exactly take our pet with us to England. Every one of our siblings has an animal, a pet; a friend. They have been with us for nearly as long as we have existed, and seem to be as immortal as we are. Ours is a black stallion we adopted. She was wild, but we found her badly injured and nursed her back to health. Her name is Cherish, she's as fast as lightning and can jump like a pro. Wendy herself loves riding her, Winnie loves braiding her mane, and I personally love feeding her and caring for her. It works out nicely, since we can switch personalities at will. She'll have to stay in the stable... I called them earlier, they said they will pick her up tonight. As I climb into my car, saying 'I'll be back in a minute' to our siblings, I can hear Winnie and Wendy in my mind, chattering about the excitement of meeting everyone. I begin wondering what Canada will be like as I drive down the road to give us our coffee fix.  
POV change! Meet Arizona!  
"This place is so dreary and dank," I growl to myself while I casually swipe all of Whitney's coffee and coffee items. "I miss Arizona. It's so much more warmer than here…" I represent that proud state, although I share a border with about 5 of my siblings and Mexico, which is goddamned stupid. Mexico is the bane of my existence! A thorn in my side I can never get fully out, and I've never even met them! I constantly ram up boarder security, but illegal trade still occurs from that horrible country! One time I got super sick of it, so I got together my police gear and we stopped a literally underground – tunnels under the border - drug trade. Seized a ton of illegal narcotics, no joke. Yet, it's still not enough to clean up my poor, Hispanic filled cities!  
I tend to get paranoid easily because of those goddamned beaners. I usually deny my brother, Robert, exists. Nothing against him, just his name of 'New Mexico'. He should be in the same boat as me, trying to control the nasty underground dealers, the growing number of both illegal and legally purchased firearms on the streets. It's just simpler for me to live Army Strong. The day they decided to allow women in the armed forces I was first in line as an Air Force One troop. Dad nearly fainted when I was ordered to be deployed to Iraq, but he finally let me go once I swore that I'd be careful and I wouldn't reveal my identity to anyone. Hell, even then he pulled some strings and had me placed in an elite squad out of harms' way.  
I like things orderly, but that doesn't mean I don't have my fun. I physically look to be about 17 years old, and I have for the last fifty years now! I love liquor like my dad, but he only looks to be about 19, but the drinking age is 21. At least we don't need fake ID's to have a good time. It's a tradition in our family that once you turn 60 - regardless of your physical age (unless you still look younger than 12- that has actually happened a few times, they had to wait) he gives you your own personal liquor license. Also a special ID so we can go drinking with friends. Regardless of our age, he also taught us how to make moonshine. I don't actually drink much but it's a fond memory because we don't typically get much alone time with dad. I still remember when he taught me… He had said, "Alicia, this is the land of the free and home of the brave! Every country has a drink they're proud of. Russia invented vodka, Germany invented beer, England invented rum... And we invented moonshine, strongest ale on earth! You can make five hundred proof moonshine! But pay attention, because if you don't make this correctly, it can be lethal and even deadly to mortals." Good times, Good times. Yeah I have my fun. Cali can try to rub Hollywood in my face all she wants, but I have the ultimate trump card; Steven Spielberg. I love that dude.  
But back to the matter at hand, no time for distractions! Dad trusted me with a nearly impossible task; to keep Whitney away from her coffee! He's going to be arriving soon, and I know he vetoed the new tank, but he said no to those new state-of-art heat seeking missiles! What!? It's not like I'm gonna use them right now, I just like adding to my vast collection of weapons and war vehicles! It's just a hobby! But damn, my sister has a lot of coffee! I think I'm safe - for now - though she disappeared into her room and then left with a little 'be back soon'. She is way too flighty to be of any use. My little cutie - Z - is guarding all of the coffee products.  
Z, or Zona, is my pet. She's a mountain lion cub. I found her alone in the wild, and tried to find her mom. I was successful, but it was too late; she had died. I took the cub back to my place and named her. The strange thing is, Zona never grew up. She talks just fine, albeit with a strong accent, and she's the greatest friend a girl could ask for. I domesticated and trained her, and I'm proud to boast she passed the police dog certification test, even though she's not a dog- or a cat for that matter. Ever since I got back from my second tour of duty out in Iraq, I've become a police officer. Every now and again, I bring her with me. She's quite small, so it might look strange, but she's tough as nails.  
I brought her up here with me because I need to keep her safe. I… I can't let that ever happen again. The last time I was overseas, Rave attacked. It was brutal and I didn't even find out about it until I came home, to find Zona mangled and bruised, barely able to move. Thank God she's okay now. I've been on the receiving end of Rave's jabs before. He's a monster, there wasn't even a fight. I want to say I lost that badly, but in truth, it was a beat down, plain and simple.  
But that is the past. I must have been standing in the kitchen for a while now. Shaking off those past thoughts, I go join everyone else in the living room to wait for Daddy. I wonder what England will be like?


	11. Chapter 10 meet California and Nevada

**Hey people! As a surprise for my LAZY artist who just got back from her school trip I'm UPDATING! The poll will close tomorrow so place your vote while you can. Also as a special surprise to whoever gives me the 26th review for this story I'll post a Spain x romano PRIZE FIC! And said winner get's to decide wether this story stays T for teen or if I spice it up and change the rating to M! The rules are all typed up in a review for this chapter I posted as myself **

** POV California **

Stupid Lucy. I would swear she cheated in our measly game of blackjack, but unfortunately, I know her better than that. Damn it, that's the last directors' cut of 'The Avengers' I have on me too. I'm Cali, by the way. Also known as the state of California, home of fast cars and movie stars. I've got mountains, beaches, and undiscovered talent! I represent the state of California in all its glory. I can't exactly brag about many people - most of my stars aren't born in my state - but that doesn't mean I can't brag about the stuff Hollywood produces! If it's within my boarders, it's free game. I actually love walking around movie lots, and I've been an extra in several films. Dad won't let me be a star in any of them, because he's paranoid about Rave finding out about us. But that's ok, there's not much I love more than watching someone's dream come true. I'm actually really good friends with a lot of stars, and I speak several languages. My iPhone, when it's not being confiscated by Dad for texting too much - I have an unlimited plan, why do you care how much I use it? - has the personal cell and home address to all the stars in California.

I have a fabulous house and, not to brag, I'm loaded. It's left over from the gold rush. My new little brother/sister, Alaska, has a fund from gold mining set up for her too. Dad never tells us ahead of time, so whenever we get a new sibling, we don't know the gender 'til they come to visit. Alaska's kind of a 'special case'. She was supposed to appear when she became a state, but apparently, Dad kept her suppressed so she/he would be able to avoid the Cold War, but something went wrong. Dad's been trying to fix it since 1991. That's not to say he didn't want to fix it prior, but she wasn't in danger, and the Cold War was still on.

During the Alaskan gold rush, a bunch of us went up and set aside the best plot of land for her/him. Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, and I made the trek in the 1880's. We had experience, so we staked out a claim for our future sibling. We panned for gold, built a three story house, and set up an account so he/she would have money later in life. I remember my gold rush like it was yesterday, the excitement, the thrill, not to mention the gold! But when it finally started to die down, tragedy struck. In 1885 I got attacked by Rave, and woke up from a coma after three weeks, with limited memory of what happened. Luckily Star was okay, well not okay… But she woke up a few days before me.

Star is my pet kitten. Lucy and I were traveling together, exploring my land in 1849, when we came across a family who couldn't afford to keep their pregnant cat. I agreed to take in the poor girl, she was half starved, and in bad shape. Lucy and I love kittens, and took care of her. She gave birth to two beautiful healthy female kittens. I named mine Star, and Nevada named hers Diamond. Their mom died eight weeks later, but we knew she held on as long as she could. Our kittens stopped growing at around twelve weeks old. I know a bit more about how the country/state personification thing works, so I know that's just when our immortality started to take effect on them. My sister Nevada and I have been BFF's forever. She was there for me when I woke up, and I was there for her after her Rave attack. We hang out at each other's houses a lot, too. Our Rave horror stories actually rank in the top ten out of everybody. When Dad's clone arrived, I was on edge. Clones are reserved for emergencies; Rave emergencies. I got more nervous when I got the call to meet up at Whitney's. Then, when I heard we're headed to England, I packed up my bag and grabbed my three back up cell phones. I arrived this morning, and right now I'm playing blackjack with my siblings. Finally! A good hand! I am so going to win back my advance copy of the second Hunger Games movie! On another note, if dad's introducing us to France, England, and Canada, I wonder if he'll finally introduce me to Japan. I love his media and filming! I can hardly wait to meet France, though… I wonder if his hair really looks the way it does in the pictures?

POV change Nevada!

Yes! I'm on a roll! Lady Luck in the house! I love playing cards with Cali, her and that Hollywood smile keep betting exclusive DVD's and advance screenings. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the state of Nevada. Lucy Jones, also known as Lady Luck. I love rock climbing, dirt bikes, and the night life. I'm a certified card shark, and I have an apartment on the Vegas strip. My BFF is my sister California, and both of us are physically 16. I take my men tall, buff, and sexy, but those over 25 need not apply. I have my fun. Dad won't let us meet any of the countries, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Cali and I have actually met a few countries. We met Spain and Romano by accident in Vegas. They didn't know who we were, but still, I think it counts. I told them I owned the casino we were in, and we kind of partied for the weekend. Damn, those men are fine. Too bad they're so in love, I'd gladly take either of them. But… Romano did mention two younger brothers.

I have master keys to all my favorite hotels and casinos. They say the house always wins, in the end. I represent the 'house'. I'm Lady Luck herself. We also met Prussia. He actually already knew who we were, but he told us not to say anything to Dad. We agreed, and in exchange, he spent the day with us at Cali's vineyard. What I wanna know is why Cali has a fully stocked bar including beer from Germany, vodka from Russia and rum from England. I actually learned a lot that day about immortality, and the awesome (former) country of Prussia.

Cali and I get along so well because we both know - like most of our siblings, actually - the pain Rave can cause. More than that, we have fun just being with each other. Between Beverly Hills and Reno, we get around everywhere, especially because we're known as the 'Western Bombshells'. Cali is the best actor- uh, actress in the family, and I'm the best gambler. Funny, you'd think she'd have a better poker face, from acting so much. Take right now, for instance. I can tell by her body language that she's holding a three of a kind. That's one of my talents, reading people. I can tell by the slightest twitch of your eyebrow if you're lying or not. It comes in handy, and in more ways than gambling. There are very few people who can lie to my face when I focus.

My dad really is a hero. The world might not think so – most countries believe him to be selfish and childish and too casual for anyone's liking – and even if he himself doesn't believe it, he is. After Cali's attack, she didn't like to be alone. It took her nearly twenty years before she could stand to be by herself, let alone doing things in solitude. After my… incident… I couldn't stand to be alone either, but not in the same way. Cali woke up in the hospital, and was haunted by nightmares, glimpses of memory, and visions of terror. She believes she was out for three weeks. In truth, she was missing for a week and a half. Dad found her unconscious. She has claustrophobia, even to this day.

Dad saved me from a much more horrible fate, in 1910. Me, well, I dealt with mine through control. I learned poker on a Mississippi River boat, and some of my towns and cities already had a reputation. I got good at reading people and controlling my environment.

Dad didn't learn to clone himself until 1927, so most of us states could tell you really fantastic – not to mention true - horror stories. It got better after that. Whenever Rave would threaten us, Dad would clone himself and they would protect us. Dad's clones aren't exact copies. For example, they don't eat the way Dad eats – like he's been starved half his life- and they don't sleep like Dad sleeps – late nights and late mornings. In fact, they don't eat or sleep at all. They all know military protocol and several fighting styles, but that seems to be the only things they do know, for they only know the bare minimum about us, and history in general, American or otherwise. Believe me when I say you won't get any useful information out of a clone. Their strength rivals Dad's, but the downside is that when he creates the clones, Daddy is reduced to only one and a half times normal human strength. Also, he can only maintain forty-nine clones at any given time. Any more than forty-nine, and things go wrong. Ever since the sixties, clones are reserved for emergencies.

But right now, I seem to be the only one here who's entirely calm. I'm in my element, and Dad's coming soon. There are a bunch of clones guarding the house, but I don't see that as a reason to worry. I heard that Dad's bringing England, Canada and France to meet us. Took him long enough! Prussia made it clear Canada's not on the market, but the other two sexy accents- I mean people, as far as I can gather, are single. Cali is probably going to try to seduce of them, just to prove she can. I'd rather wait. Rumor has it, we're going to be living in England for a while, and that means there's a good chance I could end up at a world conference. As much as I love English accents, imagine the possibilities! All of the cute boys, all of the great accents… I shake my head determinedly. Time to snap out of (Shirtless, oh yeah, baby) fantasy land.

"So this round, what'll it be?" I butt into my siblings' previous conversation, seeing that our previous game, War (for Whitney, she's crazy about math), has finished. "Blackjack? Poker? High Low?"


	12. Chapter 11

Luciangrl 5/15/13 . chapter 11

Thought I'd clarify the terms of the prize fic, #1 that's 26reviews total not in one chapter. #2 POST A REVIEW ON EACH CHAPTER AND YOUR ALREADY HALF WAY THERE #3 I'm not expecting these reviews any time soon I'm cool if It dosent happen for another dozen chapters. #4 Read 'the world I live in' by Tacomonster it's epic

**Meet Oregon! **

_Hello readers, rainbows, and that zebra who calls everyone Kevin. I am the state of Oregon. You can call me Olivia Jones. Pleasure to meet you all, how are you liking the story? I hope it's really good so far, my writer is doing a good job- Although she barely knows what she is doing, I suppose. I enjoy peace, love, and the stark beauty of sheer silence._ I laugh aloud, looking up at the spinning fan. _Is that panda suppose to be tap dancing on the ceiling fan? Oh, crap, I just realized Dad'll be here soon. What was I doing again? Oh right... Alicia was doing my nails, and I had a couple of my mushrooms, that's all._

"Hey…" I mumble dazedly, blinking slowly, "Alicia, where _am_ I?"

"You're at Whitney's, don't you_remember_?" She questions accusingly.

"Nope!" I answer, laughing. _God, you readers must love this. _"Want a mushroom?" I offer her my baggie.

"No! You're cut off, you hippie!" She grabs the baggie from my hands! _The nerve. She definitely isn't getting any gold stars from the audience, that's for sure._

"Is it just me, or is that Utah and Colorado? 'Sup, dudes!" I shout at the doorway, swearing that I see more of our stories characters. _Wait... I'm supposed to be doing something... I know it... That's right! I'm supposed to be telling all you peoples in reader land about myself! Yeah, that's it! I think I'll start again. I am Olivia Jones, state of Oregon. I have a pet chinchilla named Chita. No real back story to him- yeah, I said him. The sixties and seventies were good to me. Or were they bad? Depends on who you ask, I assume. I have dreadlocks and a lime green van called The Love Machine. 'No officer, there is nothing suspicious in the trunk! Yes sir, I do have a permit for that plant! Wait, you people aren't feds!' Silly me, have any of you seen my shrooms? I know I brought a bag with me… Oh, well! Maybe Robert brought some? No, he's not gonna have any, Tony came with him. He never does anything when Tony's around. That stupid alien is his best friend besides that weird lizard. Why can't we all go back to the love and peace of the seventies? Everybody had something or somebody to love then… oh well._

_What should I talk about now..? Rave? I'm supposed to talk about his 'horrible, dastardly deeds', right? Ugh, I'm too high for this. No turning back now. Rave is a, well… I'm not exactly sure, but he looks human. He's sharp looking- well then again it was 1975 and I was drunk and high off of who knows what. Never told anyone this story, Dad would flip if he knew. I was out dancing after a bonfire party; high, blurry, psychedelic, having a far-out time. From there, it's a bit of a blur._

_I definitely had a one night stand. That's actually the only time I've ever met the guy. I can't even give you details as to what he – she? - looks like. Okay, so yeah, he's supposed to be this big scary dude, but as I said before, I am not sober enough for explaining this._

_Oh, hey! Indoor double rainbow! What does it mean?_

_But anyways, It was about a week later, when I got the letter. It said, 'I know who you really are, my little sunspot, but don't worry. I won't do anything. That was a groovy night, see you soon. –Rave'. Shocked? Yeah, like I said, the seventies are kind of a blur; Lots of drugs, lots of boo's, lots of 'love'. I honestly should have been more concerned that I slept with the ethical equivalent to Hitler, but hey, I plead the fifth. Always did love that amendment, being given the legal right to shut your trap and admit nothing. As for the clone, it was a pain. It just showed up, unannounced, and I had to use the last of my - To destroy its sense of smell. I realize the implied danger I really do, I think._

_Hey… Could that lamp always sing opera?_

_Anyways, that clone was wrecking my style. Oh, well. My state might not have much of a presence, but that doesn't mean I don't have my secrets. Yeah, something about England, you say? Oh! I remember now! We get to meet some countries. I showered last week so… Yeah, I think I'm due. It's only 9:45 am, I've got plenty of time! I'll just take a quick shower, then chug some mouthwash and pull the van 'round the back and Dad'll be none the wiser about my little 'addiction'! Yep, that'll totally work. Then, I just have to re-dread my hair._

"Hey Cali, quit playing cards for a second and help me." I request easily, rubbing my head with my shoulder, hands occupied. She puts her cards face down on the coffee table, and I blow my lime green nails dry as Alicia stands, moving into the kitchen.

"What's up, Olivia?" Cali asks. I hold out my nearly decades old duffel bag, worn in and a little frayed around the straps.

"Does this smell like pot?"

She bends over and gives a small sniff, before coughs slightly and answering. "Just… Just take a shower. Dad'll be here soon, and the last thing he needs is a nose full of _that_. I'll have Colorado, but your close in with this. Colin is trying to bury his evidence - so to speak - as well."

"Thanks sis, I owe you one." I thank, giving a large beam before turning to walk to the bathroom. Cali calls out to me.

"So…" She starts slowly, hopeful, "Does that mean you'll let me in your van for an hour?"

"Nope~" I respond, giving a little giggle, "I may be out of it and still partially high- by the way, how long has Her Royal Majesty Princess Bubblegum been standing there?" I point to a designated spot where the cutesy girl with pink hair waves at me. I wave back. Cali looks most unimpressed.

"Shower _now_." She orders.

I go and take a shower after brushing my dreads out, and pull the van around back. Y'know, all the usual stuff to hide any 'incriminating evidence'. I'm still coming off my morning buzz, dazedly lounging in the living room. _It's 10:40 am, so Dad'll be here soon. I honestly can't wait to meet the countries, but for different reasons. I wanna meet Canada because he's, like, my hero. Not only is it legal to smoke hash in Canada, there's also a group dedicated to keeping it that way! How cool is that? I'm super de-_

_ Oh look… A butterfly…_

_ Where was I? Oh, yeah, I wanna meet France because- well, country of love, imagine the fun! Then there's England, not exactly stoked to meet the person, but I'm pumped to go there!_

_ I've got the munchies. Does Washington have any Twinkies? Do you guys know if she has any junk food? No? Dang._

_I mean, anyways, imagine the underground punk scene in Liverpool! And those accents! I'm never sure whether I should be laughing at British accents, or inviting them into the nearest hotel. I'm good either way. Well, I guess I'll just wait in the living room with everyone else. Could be worse. I'm pretty sure Colin is suffering from a minor detox under those custom prescription ski goggles, and I think I'm finally off my high. The room is no longer fuzzy and pink. I wonder when Dad will get here?_

**_who caught the Adventure time reference? Now who caught the phineas and ferb refrance? _**


	13. Chapter 12

**Hey! the chapters are getting longer! I didn't label the POV changes but hope there easy enough to figure out. The POV starts with America and switches between him and Canada. Enjoy and as always Review! (because I was apparently unclear the prize fic goes to whom ever writes the 25th review for the entire story NOT a single chapter)**

"Shit! I _knew_ I forgot something!" I slam on the breaks and fumble to put on my Bluetooth. "Come on, come on, _come on_!_Please_ pick up!" The earpiece finally clicks, and I sigh in relief.

"Hello?"

"Hey!" I greet loudly. "Alicia, that you?"

"Yeah Dad, why are you calling? Aren't you going to be here in roughly ten minutes?" She interrogates. _She is such a strict little girl, it's sometimes a pain, but it does make her a good air force member._

"Yeah, I'm almost there, but in all the confusion, I forgot about Tony! Is he with Robert?"

"…Yes." She grumbles after a moment at the mention of her brother.

"Who's already at Whitney's house?" I ask.

"Cali, Lucy, Robert, Olivia, Lilo, Colin, and myself. That's it, besides Whitney."

"Why are Hawaii, Colorado and New Mexico there? Isn't it easier for them to meet us in Idaho? And when did my little island girl get in?"

"Apparently, Lilo got scared when your clone showed up, and hopped on a plane at Pearl Harbor. She showed up at my house and we drove up together. Robert and Colin were already together, chilling with Tony and hunting down UFO's, so Tony flew them here."

"…How are you guys holding up?" I question quietly, turning onto a road to enter the small town of North Bend. She's silent, and finally answers.

"We're safe… For the time being." She replies, then gives a nervous laugh. "Your clones are doing that weird ass barrier thing."

"So who's high, who's drunk, and who don't I wanna know about?" I give a small bark of strangled laughter myself, trying to lighten the mood.

"_Dad!_ You have absolutely _no_ faith in us! Lucy is keeping most of everyone distracted, Whitney went to drop off her horse at the stable - just got back - and I'm not doing anything, for your information!"

"Heh, I know sweetie. My little trooper will keep the peace, right? I mean, after all, the daughter of a hero is automatically a hero herself!" I say cockily.

"...Dad, it's been more than three days, are you okay?"

"I'm _fine,_ Alicia. The clones aren't even affecting me all that much, now that I'm back in the continental US."

"_Now_ I know why everyone calls you reckless! You can _barely_ control magic, you can only see magical beings _half _the time, you're using a complex spell that drains you physically, and you're _already_ a mental mess about your family!" She scolds. I ignore her ranting.

"I'll be there soon, okay? You'll get to meet the family, and then I'll undo the nine clones guarding you guys. Cool?"

"Just…" Her voice is garbled, choked up, and she clears her throat. "Just be careful, Daddy."

"Mind calling all your siblings and informing them of the situation?"

"Already sent out a mass email." She reports, emotion gone from her voice.

"Thanks sweetie."

"So…" She trails off, coming back in hopefully. "You'll sign off on the Bomb Technical Training?" My laughter echoes through the bus.

"Not on your _life_! It's good that you can _still_ joke about that! See you soon, bye!"

"But _Daddy!_" She whines, like a little kid. I pay no mind to her begging.

"I'm bringing some McFlurries, by the way! And no means _no_, young lady."

"I'm 17 years old! ...Physically..." I laugh again.

"Answer's still no!"

I hang up. _Call it what you want, that girl is going to give me a heart attack long before Mc Donald's… Wendy's! Score! I am so getting a Frosty!_ I pull into the parking lot, sad that there is no drive-thru.

_Why are we stopping? Isn't our destination close?_ I look out the window, and my face collapses into my open hand, a large, long sigh of disappointment reverberating through this side of the bus. We're at Wendy's, and Al is trying to open the door to the bus - while balancing four drink holders, containing sixteen large chocolate Frosty's. I then notice he's bleeding through his shirt. _That idiot!_ I rush down and help him in.

"Thanks, bro! Mind putting these twelve in the freezer?" He asks, handing me three of the four full drink holders. I stare blankly at him, and hear from behind me as someone comes down the stairs,

"What the _bloody hell_ do you think you're doing, you moronic git?!" Arthur reprimands angrily.

"Iggy! Dude, I got you a Frosty! There's been a small change of plans, but it's all okay because I'm the hero!" Alfred explains simply, holding out the last remaining drink carrier he's holding. Arthur growls, carefully picking up what he believes to be one of the grossest things imaginable. _I know very well about how much he loathes American fast food, but Alfred never pays any mind, always getting Arthur something from any food place they go. Arthur usually never even consumes what Alfred buys him, wasting Alfred's money._

"You wanker!" Arthur shouts, setting the frozen drink he picked up into a cup holder. "What now? And stop destroying the Queens English!" They continue to bicker slightly, and I wobble over to Francis, who just came from down the stairs himself.

"Bonjour, Francis," I say while balancing the trays.

"Let me get those for you, mon ami." He opens the door, and guides me up stairs. After I have the Frosty's put away, he says, "Well, to be honest, I'm surprised they remembered you for this long. I suppose no matter how many skeletons America has in his closet, he'll always be the charming, good intentioned idiot, non?"

"So what _is_ your take on all of this?" I ask.

"I should be asking you that." He sighs, daintily sitting into one of the chairs, crossing his legs politely. "I have known Prusse for many centuries, and I could tell he knew more than he let on about this, though I did not know exactly what. I think this is all a bit much to take in. The last time mon cher Alfred acted this way was November of… 2003? 2002? I am, how do you say, astonished – yes, that's the word - by the level of seriousness he has displayed."

"I agree. I'm his twin brother, and I can only account for a handful of times he's acted, for lack of a better term, grown up. But, you do know it's an act, right?" I reveal, sitting in a nailed-to-the-floor recliner across from him.

"Quel acte?" He asks worriedly, sitting up to put his chin in his hand, elbow leaning on his crossed knee.

"His idiot routine, it's an act." I explain, looking into my hands. "I've never really known what he's trying to hide, but…"

"Do you believe what he says about having _that_ many children?"

"I think until we meet a few that can actually talk," I look over at baby Alexie, who's sleeping quietly, "We have to believe him." Al clonks up the stairs, his drink in his good arm. He takes an annoying, sucky slurp, swallowing with a refreshing sigh. He looks at Francis.

"I got those Frosty's, you have one for you downstairs. Could you go try and calm Iggy down? God, it's like he's PMS-ing twenty-four-seven." Alfred groans, plopping onto the empty couch. With a grimace and a loud swallow, Francis rises, thanking Alfred for being as thoughtful as to get him a drink, and leaves. _He's not a fan of American food either._

"Hey, Mattie, mind redoing these?" He asks, gesturing towards the blood soaked stain in his white t-shirt. I get up.

"Fine. Tell me where you put the bandages."

Mattie easily finishes redoing the bandages on my shoulder. "So... Slight change of plans..." I start awkwardly.

"What 'slight change of plans'?" Mattie grills immediately, giving me a small glare.

"Well, turns out that Arizona sent out a mass email, and more kids than I thought will be at Washington's place when we get there… But no biggie!" I explain, giving a small chuckle, before mumbling quietly, "I just have to warn you of a few things first." I could barely hear the last part myself, but apparently Mattie has super hearing. _Like Superman! Nah, he's not cool enough to be Superman._

"What was that? You have to _warn_us? What the heck are your kids _like_?!" _Crap, now I have to explain._

"…You'll be meeting nine of my kids. Every single one has their own... _Personality._Yeah, that's it! The western states are just an odd cast of characters! Personality!" I give a nervous, louder-than-usual belt of laughter.

"Whom the bloody hell are we meeting?" Arthur asks from behind me.

"And the excitement grows! Perhaps you should tell us about your little ones before we go, non?" Francis adds. _They both snuck up the stairs when I wasn't paying attention, I guess. Damn it, they heard it too._

"Fine... Mattie hand it over." I hold out my good hand, and am met with a shocked expression from my Canadian bro.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." I roll my eyes.

"Really? _You're_ trying to play the idiot? I don't care, but be careful with that picture album. A lot of those photos and paintings can't be replaced."

"How did you-" Mattie starts, but is cut off by Arthur.

"How did you know Mathew had the album? Hell, how did you know that he was listening in on us talk earlier? How are you noticing a lot of these seemingly random and coincidental things?" Arthur questions ignorantly. I look to him, who seems confused. I give him a blank stare.

"Really? Iggy, dude, it _never_ seemed strange to you that the same country who caused a technological revolution, dominates the Olympic Games nearly every year, strategically won both world wars, can be compared to Japan for modern electronics, had Steve Jobs - God I miss that dude - as a close personal friend, wouldn't know a few simple tidbits of information about things that you just need to know or remember? Basically yeah, the whole idiot thing is a façade, I know a lot more than I let on. Don't judge a man by his cover." The bus goes completely silent, and I slump forward, running my hands over my face.

"…What the bloody hell just happened?" Arthur whispers, shocked.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around it mon ami, have you an idea, mon cher?" Francis turns to Mattie.

"Uh, yeah, but I'll explain in a second, Papa. Al? Alfred, are you okay?"

_I suddenly don't feel so hot. But damn, you should see the look on England's face! I've wanted to tell him that for decades! Canada figured out my farce before I even finished creating it, so I wasn't expecting...a...a..._ "Mattie...ugh, GPS is set for Whitney's place. Can you drive?"

"Oi, are you okay, lad?" I wave Arthur off.

"Matt…" I groan, closing my eyes as the headache warps my brain, slowly driving me unconscious. "I know you brought my album, I'm not mad, but be careful with it. I do not have a second copy of most of those pictures. Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada, California, Oregon, New Mexico, Colorado, Washington, and Utah. Their profiles are behind the map..."

_He blacked out! The world's sole surviving superpower just freaking blacked out! Maple, this is not good!_

"What do we do?!" I whimper.

"Keep calm! We can't go losing our heads! Mathew, have you checked to see if he's alright?" _Oh, I forgot I could do that..._ I shut my eyes and probe at his mind. I open them again.

"He's unconscious, and in pain," I sit down took a few deep breaths. "He'll be okay, I think." I explain, before muttering a small, "I hope."

"Right, well… What now?" I grab my frosty. _It may be fast food, but ice cream is ice cream. _It all tastes good covered with maple syrup, so I take out a bottle and pour some on.

"Well, if mon cher America is okay, perhaps we should learn what we can about his kin and continue on. They may know what to do, better than we do."

"I actually have to agree with the frog, as much as it pains me." I go and retrieve the album from where I stashed it and also manage to find the journal.

"So where do we start?" I ask.

"…He has spoken of a Robert. Shall we start with him?" Francis begins.

"Useless frog, that one's New Mexico, if I remember correctly. Mathew, if you please." I turn to the appropriate page. There's a flat square with a button of some kind glued to the bottom of the page, so I press it. A weird narrator voice booms throughout the bus, location of speakers unknown.

"Oh, hello." A distinctly feminine voice greets. "I guess it's up to the narrator _no one remembers _to give some friendly information. Like _always_. New Mexico, also known as Robert, is a downright weird child. When he's not managing - and I use that term loosely - his state affairs, he's hunting down UFO's and hanging out with Tony. He is laid back, and a general redneck, alien-obsessed pushover. He lives for conspiracy theories and can often be found at Star Wars film festivals. One of the handful of male states, he doesn't get along very well with his sisters. Goodbye."

"Well… that was 'informative', eh?" I shut the book.

"Are _all_ his brats like that?" Arthur whispers in disgust.

"I think we are better off finding out for ourselves, oui?"

"Agreed." Arthur nods.

"Yes. You two stay with Al. I'll drive." They nod in response. I go downstairs, where the GPS is already on, and begin to navigate toward our destination.


	14. Chapter 13

**Hey guess what I managed to do, I went 14chapters without a disclaimer! I don't own hetalia but the plot aid this story and every character not mentioned in the serries are all mine baby! Also no these aren't mutant chapters I'm making them longer :3 be happy! Read and review **

I go through my introduction one more time in my head, wanting to be calmed down in this loud home.  
I'm Lilo. Yeah, like Lilo And Stitch! My big sister Cali made that movie for me! I have forgotten how old I really am, but I look to be 7 years old. I tend to be slightly passive aggressive, but I'm actually quite gentle. I've got Daddy wrapped around my little finger. My brothers and sisters can try to get into his front eye, but when push comes to shove… I get whatever I ask for. The only people who can out-act me are Cali, Claire and Alice. Stupid Hollywood and Broadway stars, that's cheating! Daddy may be overprotective, but he spoils us rotten at every opportunity. I'm actually the youngest, but I like it that way.  
I have just as much history as everyone else in my ohana… I just don't remember it all. I remember my years as a territory, but I don't remember much before that. I try my best to stay in touch with my people, given the chunks of history I'm missing. I will really relate to baby Alaska – whenever it comes along. He or she will grow up like I did, with the knowledge of his/her people, but they won't have been a part of it. Even Daddy has problems with history, because the Europeans basically invaded and took over. It's a lot harder for him to remember or even relate to indigenous people. I existed before I was born a colony. Heck, I even had my own civilizations, but I was never a part of them. I am a product of America, representing my own true home. Yet… I still feel the drive, the passion, and the tears of every citizen within my boarders. It's gotten a lot easier over the decades. The masses became more excepting, we developed our own culture, and the states evolved personalities beyond the personifications that we are. But, we still suffer and represent.  
I have a scar on my back that I'll never forget - Pearl Harbor. I don't have ill will towards Japan anymore, but still. When those bombs went off… I shudder, pulling my legs up to my chest on the couch. I could feel the explosion rip, shred, force its way through the harbor. I somehow knew the names and lives of every person who died that day, their voices ringing in my ears: 'Never Forget'. I received an unexplained first degree burn on my back. The scar is healed over, with pink scar tissue, rougher and slicker than the rest of my skin, the ragged edges marking me. It's small, at least. My bikini usually covers it. I will never forget World War II, or the day my coast was attacked. Daddy did get revenge for me, but after that, he was never proud of how the war ended. He never wanted to use those… things, much less on his supposed best friend, but the war had to end.  
I was shot a month after the war ended, dead center of my scar, which was then a fresh wound. That was two weeks after I got out of the hospital. I was with my governor at the time. Even though the war was over, there were still lose ends that needed to be tied up, so Daddy was stuck in Washington DC. Daddy was flying out to take care of me as soon as he could, but Rave beat him to the punch. His hope was that after the Second World War, he could show us to the world and let us meet people who we really could be friends with for more than a decade, but that turned into a pie crust dream; easily made, easily broken. By then, even a moron could see the pattern; Daddy resolves a conflict, Rave attacks. We interact with the other countries in any way whatsoever, Rave attacks. But it's not like we could just stop talking and gaining and receiving help from the other countries. Between the Hero Complex Daddy has, and the fact that the USA is now considered a global superpower, we were kept hidden, safe. But as far as other countries are concerned, nonexistent.  
Not every encounter with Rave ends in violence, but the good doesn't outweigh the bad. Florida met him once, and he lead her to a magic wellspring. That's where she told Walt to build Disney World, years later. She wanted to share the magic with everyone. During the Civil War, he saved Virginia from a stray bullet. He is truly unpredictable. There's even a rumor that Olivia slept with him once, but he's unpredictable. That's what keeps us paranoid; we don't know what he is. He never has a pattern to his actions, and has no apparent weakness. After the Women's Suffrage Movement, Daddy started accepting that, like it or not, his children aren't going to sit around. We want to add to this world as much as he does. So, he began looking into ways of protecting us.  
Even though America (the place) is brimming with magic, Daddy's never been able to control it. He first looked for a scientific way to clone himself, but he soon found a long forgotten spell book England had left before the revolution. The book contained complex spells that he still doesn't understand. Mother Nature taught him how to read only one spell, and the absolute basics of magic. He started out being rubbish at it, but now he can control each and every one of his clones at the same time, but the side effects are bad. All I know about magic is what Daddy told me. "'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder', as they say. Therefore, beauty is a magical thing, and magic is found in the beauty of our environment, be it a steel jungle, or a tropical wonderland."  
I'm Daddy's little island girl. I could never understand the stuff he tries to explain to me, but I know I have it. Stitch told me so. Stitch is my pet. No, there are not another 625 lose all over the world, and yes, she is blue. Stitch is just her nickname. Her real name is Stella. Tony gave her to me as a puppy. She's not some genetic experiment gone awry, just a normal alien. Yeah, Cali definitely exaggerated that series but hey, I like it anyways. I love surfing, dancing and relaxing in my beautiful home. Even though I am only seven physical years old, I'm a world class surfer and my bedroom is lined with trophies and ribbons. I also love hula dancing. I've mastered most all forms of it. My house lets out to a beach and I play outside every day with some of my people. And I'm allowed to live by myself and everything! I even help run my state… Sometimes. People say I'm lazy, but if you lived here, you'd be lazy too. And I'm lazy as in surfer girl lazy, which is totally different.  
Daddy only sends out his clones when something big happens, and it's never a good thing. The thing appeared, and not a second later, I was packing a bag and heading for the airstrip. I flew to Arizona and called Alicia to pick me up. I always feel safe with her, maybe it's the military background? One of my favorite places to be is with her, either when she's cleaning her defense weapons, or she's helping out at the hospital. She filled me in on the general situation on the way to Big Sister Whitney's house. It's nice to be with family. I can't help but be nervous. I realize I'm curled up in a small ball on the couch at Whitney's house, and slowly unfurl my lanky, tanned limbs. Dad will get here soon, and we get to go to England! But for now I'm content reading 'Mark of Althea' for the umpteenth time until the next one comes out in October.  
"Pay up! I win! Hey Lilo, wanna play?" Well, I have read this several times...  
"Okay, why not? What's the game and exchange rates?" They're all used to my big girl talk, and it makes me feel cooler and at home.  
"No! Don't do it, she's evil!" Big shocker there! Sounds like Big Brother Robert lost his cool, and the game. They need to relax.  
"Let her play! Luck, set her up!" That's the Cali I know and love! Let me play too!  
"Can do Cali! Don't listen to Robert he's just a sour loser without a poker face. Right, Chloe?" Then there's Lucy, always ready to start the party.  
"...37...38...39... Oh, um, yeah. Whatever… What were we talking about?" Well, she obviously just won something. Strange, Utah doesn't usually have a strong presence.  
"Nothin', so…" Lucy drawls, shuffling the cards before dealing. "What did you bring to bet with?"  
"And no fakes!" New Mexico reminds.  
"That was your fault. You should know better than to insult me. Are tourist collectables worth anything?" I ask hopefully, eager to get to play.  
"Depends on what they are." Lucy bargains.  
"Set me up! Three chains of real shell necklaces, ten dashboard hula dancers, a week at a resort on Honolulu, and… The password to my favorite surf spot." I see a crazed look in Cali's eyes when I mention the surf spot.  
"Sure. We're using this exchange rate sound good?"  
She hands me her iPad. Looks like the hula girls are worth 25 dollars each. The trip is 2,589 bucks. The necklaces are 57 dollars, and the password is 125. Actual cash is 2=$1. "What's minimum bet?"  
"1 token." She informs, and I nod happily.  
"How dressed are the hula girls?" A males voice, rather grungy and rough, asks.  
"Collen! Don't ask that!" Cali scolds.  
"Oh Collen, when did you get here?" I ask politely. I don't know him really well, and he always has really funny hair that's in thick strands.  
"The machine just finished, so now that I don't smell suspicious, I thought I'd join you." He explains, a small cough afterwards.  
"Betting power?" Whitney, who just came in the front door, sits next to me.  
"Whitney! Your back! And why do you care?" Cali's eyes narrow. Whitney changes the subject.  
"Is Alicia around?" She questions.  
"Nope, she's on the phone in the other room." Supplies Luck as she dealt the cards. Whitney sighs, giving a slow, forlorn sip of her coffee that she holds in her hands.  
"Well, in that case, Dad'll be here any minute. This is the last coffee I'll see for a few hours."  
"Game on!" Luck shouts, and everyone – except for Olivia and Alicia, who aren't in the room – starts on the toughest and best game of poker I have ever been a part of.


	15. Chapter 14 meet UTAH

**Short Chapter is short. meet Utah! Also at the bottom There's a check in with the group still on the road.**

I watch as everyone at Whitney's house starts to play poker. It is poker, isn't it? As Nevada and California begin arguing if Collen should get to play or not, I think about their states, and how big they are, much bigger than myself, the little scrawny placeholder I am. My state is big, I guess, but I'm overlooked. That's okay, though. I don't like people very much. I suppose I'm polite enough, for a teenager. You wouldn't think I'd be overlooked by my size, I know I am really big, I mean, compared to other states… But Dad always pays attention to me and says that I'm huge and one of the largest states, and that I shouldn't be 'insecure' about it, but… There are bigger states, and I'm nothing but a little leftover spot.  
I have Delaware and Rhode Island, my best friends, the only ones – other than Dad, of course – that I like letting into my house. Everyone else is really bothersome and annoying, and I'm really quite content to be left to my own devices. I have never met Rave, thank goodness. He seems very frightening, I can tell by the way Dad gets this look in his eyes and his face whitens slightly, and the way his smile turns into more of a grimace. The others haven't gotten to notice it, as Daddy almost always sees me at least once a month, worried that I'll get kidnapped or killed by Rave. The topic comes up often.  
I also have a pet, a beagle puppy from my local animal protection agency. Her name is Princess, something I know is stereotypical, but I think that's why I named her it. You see, my name is Chloe Jones. I am of average height, average shoe size, average almost everything, besides the fact that I'm rather scrawny for my age of fourteen. My hair and eyes are a dull brown, and I'm dotted with freckles. I blend in completely, and it is most likely the reason I haven't been noticed by Rave. I am rather intimidated by Rave, and I've heard the stories and everything about him. I try to blend in as much as possible, for the sake of staying out of danger. I don't want Dad to feel bad, if I happened to ever be killed or hurt.  
I live in a three bedroom apartment in Salt Lake City, where I run the affairs of my state. The best memory I have with my father – and there are a lot, don't get me wrong - is when he took us on a family trip one year to New York. He took an entire two months off work and drove to all of our houses, picked us all up, and drove us around the country. We spent an entire week in New York and DC. Alice took me around her orchard, and we picked what I thought was hundreds of crisp, gala apples. Then Clair took anyone who wanted to bake into the kitchen and we made pie and ice cream. It was the first time that I got to bake apple pie, as fresh apples don't grow well in my state, and I don't usually bake in the first place. Afterwards, Dad took us to his favorite pastime. We all sat in old cushioned seats, with hot dogs and popcorn, watching the Yankees go against the Red Sox. The New Yorker twins were fighting with Massachusetts the whole time, all three of them spewing bad words and insults until it was over. Dad had caught a foul ball. I just sat there in awe of the game, smile forever plastered on my face. We were happy, we were together. Then Babe Ruth hit the first home run of the night, and we all cheered until our throats were raw. Just being there was amazing, the sights the sounds the game.  
Oh, it was hell afterwards, since we all sing. I know it's kind of cheesy, but all of us states can sing really well, better than most singers, although we have different styles and timbres. Even so, we all are perfect together, and complete each other perfectly. We even have an acopella group. On the fourth of July, we give Daddy a concert, each year. Every once in a while, California drags a celebrity to sing with us, although we can't be shown on television or media, for obvious reasons. People would remember us, recognize us. Even though we couldn't ever show you, we know that you would love our 'All-American Set'. It's absolutely ravishing.  
Right now, I'm playing cards with my siblings… Drat, I got caught in my thoughts again. I think I won last hand… Is that Lilo? When did she get here? She's evil! Pure evil! She has almost everyone wrapped around her little finger, but I know better than to give in to that little girl! But… Nobody's gonna believe me… I guess I'll just let it go. Oh, wait, did someone say something?  
"28, 29… 30." Well, if it's important, they'll ask again.

"Well," The robotic photo album says, informing France and England about Ohio's persona. Canada is driving, while Alfred is still unconscious and they turn onto the street that Whitney occupies. "Chloe doesn't have much of a presence. Oh, who are we kidding? She's going to get as much character development as ten ten from 'Naruto'! She's got average looks, attractions and really nothing to distinguish her from a group. She doesn't have a second job like most of her siblings and doesn't partake in any particular hobbies. So yeah, boring! Well that took less time than I expected. Google Utah to learn more."  
"What the bloody hell did this- this thing mean, 'character development'?" Arthur barks impatiently, glancing out the window.  
"I do not know, Angleterre. I do not know."  
They flip a page, and press another button.


	16. Chapter 15 meet Colorado

**Hey! Another new chapter! Enjoy! Read and review your 5 or so reviews away from the prize fic one shot!**

While listening to the girls bicker about some card game, I go over last night, when I was at my local club.  
"'Sup, I'm Collen Jones." I had said to this girl, Clara or Claudia or something. She did the stupid hair-twirl-around-finger thing, so I knew I was doing a good job. But I took it too far, and I wince now, taking a long drag from my cigarette. I had said, "I represent the state of Colorado." Ah, fuck. I can't believe I did that again, I need to stop getting so drunk.  
"Collen, what are you doing!? Dad's gonna be here any minute, get that damned cigarette outta here!" Cali scolds, and I growl, taking another inhale, before rising and moving to the bathroom to get rid of the evidence. Fucking Dad, why can't he let us do what we want? We're all over fifty years old now, we should be allowed to act the part! Although I look to be seventeen years old… And I attend a classy prep school, which would make it really suck if I were to get caught intoxicated in any way. But, I also have a great deal of power over my land in politics and such - like every state in their own state – which might cancel it out, as I have a great deal of money that I could use to bribe the school. They are all greedy old pigs, who just can't live without money. Frankly, it's bullshit, but I can't help but love to be in school, as crazy as it sounds. Plus, I am still a teenager, and if I didn't go to school, people could get suspicious, especially since I mainly live in Denver.  
I ski and snowboard. A lot. There's something about gliding over the cold white, the adrenaline, that gets me high, without having to do any drugs. I have a little part time job working at the ski resort in Denver, at Winter Park Resort, which is right in town. I get a lot of customers, partially because I'm so young, and partially because – Let's face it – I'm good looking, for a kid with red dreadlocks, although it might be the color of my eyes – a weird looking yellow-green – that gets me girls. I have had human girls to date before. Well, not really 'date'. When I left my state, I would immediately begin looking for a one time fling in my siblings states, or other countries. I always happen to get one, no matter what.  
As a side shot of cash, I also deal drugs. What? Can't I be a part of my states underground? It's not like I'm a mob boss or a pimp or anything, I don't do that stuff. I think I'm too white to be able to become anything more than a right-hand-man, which would actually be a pretty sucky job. If people ask what I deal, I tell them it depends on what they want. I have almost everything, although I only smoke weed and cigarettes, and drink.  
I have really shitty vision from an… incident. When I was physically seven, Rave attacked me. I was able to fight him off, but he got me in the eyes with some weird spray of some sort. I usually wear contacts or prescription ski goggles, but I prefer the goggles, those suckers are custom. Really fuckin' sweet looking, too.  
I don't have much of a sense of self but I have a strong sense of state. They say state personifications have to represent there people and government, but we're also immortal, so we develop our own thoughts, friendships, ideas. Some ideas and ideals we like to stick with us over the years. The older we get the easier it is to distinguish if an idea is important to you or to your people. But I've never really been good with that. In fact, I feel that I'm more of my state than myself, y'know? The younger the immortal, the harder it is to distinguish yourself from your state, yet Hawaii is younger than me and it's easier for her than me. That's part of the reason why I like knowing how the black market works, and why I'm one of the only states that are in school still, and why I date. I do those things for my sake, not because of my people.  
Dad always loves getting together as a family, and it makes it easier to be yourself when you're just a sibling. Not a military secret, not a high ranking official who just looks like some stupid college intern. Just one of the family. That's partly why so many of us spend so much time together. It's because we have bonds with each other beyond duty, we have family for each other in our veins. If the economy gets bad we feel it deep in our guts and we almost always throw up. If something goes wrong, it affects us in multiple negative ways that could potentially harm us and leave us vulnerable in front of Rave, but it's not there as much if were together. An example of this is when, during the Great Depression, Dad downright forced us to all move to his Virginia plantation. Not for an economical benefit, but so none of us would catch cold and become sickly. Dad stayed in DC, sickly and weak, but us states? We were hidden away, all together, and we never caught worse than a mild fever once or twice.  
We don't have a 'Mom', but this really beautiful lady called Mother Earth or Nature or something, and she visits every so often. She's kind of like a weird aunt. I asked her once why it's so easy to be ourselves around one another, and she had laughed, and told me that 'that's just the way it is'. After ease dropping on Dad I learned that whenever we're together, instead of a collection of ideas, America (Dad) is harbored with all the effects that normally would go to the individual state. As in, if I'm with even one of my many siblings, and something happens to my state, Dad takes the blow, and I don't even feel it. Once we found that out, we tried to stand up for ourselves. Protect Dad, fight our own battles, that sort of thing. He still tries to protect us though, and although it's very nice and sweet of him or whatever, he should know that we can take care of ourselves.  
Rave is an entirely different matter. Unlike problems we face as states, there is seemingly no escape from him. Regardless of whom you're with, whatever damage Rave causes to you or your state is felt almost exclusively by you. Only ten attacks have ever registered as pain within Dad. I'm in that ranking, but only barely. What that thing, I was blind for years. I eventually got my vision back, but it will never be 20/20 even with the healing power of the worlds' sole remaining superpower.  
So, yeah, I was a bit freaked when the clone thing popped up. I was chilling with my bro, Robert. Us dudes were UFO hunting with Tony, and had been planning that trip for months. We tracked down fishing lures and were holding beer cans. We may or may not have convinced Tony to sneak us into Nevada's airspace. And whilst there we may or may not have checked out Area 51. Our 'Ultimate Redneck Mix CD' was blaring, and we were laughing our asses of as we snuck back into our own airspace. Dad's clone crashed the party just as 'Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy' started on the radio of our pickup truck. When he came we all stopped mid-sentence (Well, Tony stopped mid bitching, fucking, but whatever, same difference). We went to Whitney's house.  
Now? Now I'm sitting between devil Sisters numbers one and two. "No, don't! Their evil!"  
"Don't listen to Collen. You can play."  
Now poor, innocent Hawaii is going to be pulled into this hell of a ga- Did she say dashboard hula dancers?


	17. Chapter 16

**Hey! I'm posting another chapter because you guys are so awesome! 26th review (in total) gets a oneshot dedicated to them. This is where everything comes together entirely in Canada's POV read and review! Enjoy!**

I pull into the large driveway at the address I had been given. Al is still unconscious. I put the parking brake on and scan my surroundings. All of the sudden, I see something… strange. "Um, Francis? Arthur? You better come see this."  
"Is there something wrong, mon Cher?" France calls down.  
"Not exactly… Just come see for yourself. Bring Arthur." I hear them walk down the stairs.  
"Lad, have we arrived?" England asks, putting a hand on my shoulder comfortingly.  
"Well, look for yourself, eh." Standing guard, in full swat team gear at key points all around Washington's house, are Alfred lookalikes.  
"Are those the clones...?" France asks in awe.  
"Is that dolt still out?" England growls, referencing to America.  
"Yes Arthur, Alfred is still unconscious. It looks like there's room enough in the driveway to park, hang tight." I maneuver the bus into the strangely large driveway. "So, what now?"  
"I'm not quite sure... Our introduction is out cold and I'm not sure it's smart to just barge into a house where no one knows you."  
There's a knock at the bus door. We all freeze, and France moves over, and reluctantly opening it. A tanned girl with dark hair enters.  
"Hello, I'm Arizona. You must be France." She comes over to where we are standing, myself having risen out of the drivers seat. She points, first to me, then to England. "Let me guess, Canada and England?"  
"How did you know that?" I ask quietly, eyes widening.  
"It figures." She grumbles. "Dad hasn't told you everything, has he? Well, let's start at the beginning. I'm Arizona, and please call me Alicia. I'm one of America's daughters, and also a member of the US armed forces, the Air Force to be exact. At this point Dad is most likely unconscious because of the clones, and you-" she broadly gestures to us as she leans against the back of the drivers' seat. "-know next to nothing about Rave, the situation in general, or us, for that matter. I'm really hoping I'm wrong about that, because we have a serious problem if he is out cold, and y'all don't know anything. I'd also say you volunteered to help because Dad was in a dastardly condition when you found him, as heard from he himself." Alaska starts crying upstairs, and we all look up at the ceiling. Alicia continues. "And, if I had to guess, that is little Alaska. How am I doing so far? Is Alaska a girl or a boy?" She crosses her arms, clearly done talking. I am completely shocked, mouth parted a little as if I'm about to say something, but nothing good enough can come to mind. England is the first to register anything she has just said in the past few minutes.  
"Well, I'm actually having a hard time believing you're America's daughter. You seem very organized, and to answer your questions, you're spot on. Half an hour ago, Alfred passed out. Alaska is named Alexie, as I'm told, and she's a girl. Your father is family, and family sticks together so we may not know what's in store but we're prepared to face it." Arthur's easy answers turn to growls, determination settling into his voice. I must have the worst luck ever, because at this moment, my legs give out, and I drop to the floor. I don't fall unconscious, but I feel… drained. I almost want to go to sleep, or maybe never wake up in the first place. A pain shoots through me, and I wince. It isn't my pain, but the fact that this is Alfred's pain brings me no comfort.  
The girl sighs, ignoring my state. "I'll catch you up as much as I can, later. For now, I need to get you guys inside the barrier where it's relatively safe. I'm sorry, I don't mean to overwhelm you, but you're going to be meeting more than a few of my siblings."  
France comes to my side, hoisting me back onto my feet with a broad slap on the back, and finally speaks. "Would you mind explaining all of this, mon Cher? Once we are inside, of course. It seems our introduction is unconscious." Alicia visibly pales at that statement, remembering that her father is a little comatose. She turns and faces me head on. I widen my eyes wider, if possible.  
"You," She instructs me, "How long has he been out, and where exactly did he fall unconscious?" She turns her head and her hand gestures suggest she is counting something outside. "And how much pain can you sense?"  
"How did you...?" I gasp in astonishment. She sighs again.  
"I don't have time for this. Look, we have a lot of twins in our family, so why is it unsurprising that I know about your connection? Dad has been blocking his link to you the same way he suppressed Hawaii until after the Cold War. Didn't it ever seem strange why you hardly sensed any pain from Alfred during 9/11, yet he was in a coma right next to the New York twins? He was protecting you. But now that Alaska's here, that link must be dissolving too. Look, long story short, this is not good. We needed to get Dad inside with Cali ten minutes ago, and possibly get a doctor." At this we all shut up and England, being the closest to the stairs, shows Alicia where her Dad is lying. France goes up with them, but returns faster, cradling baby Alexie, diaper bag slung over his shoulder. Alicia shocks us all when she moves down the stairs, Alfred on her shoulder like he's nothing but a sack of potatoes.  
"Bloody hell! Like father, like daughter! Do you need any help?"  
"I've got 'im. But you guys better bring ice cream." We all laugh awkwardly, thinking it's a joke, but she glances at all of us, one by one, until her dark brown eyes stare confusedly at me, then forcefully.  
"I wasn't joking." We all quiet down again, and I go to the freezer, pulling out the Frosty's. After a nod of approval we venture into the house.


	18. You actually thought this was a new chap

**Hello to all my readers! I haven't dropped off the face of the earth nor have I ditched this story! I've got writers block. I know EXACTLY how I want this story to turn out but on this next chapter I'm just drawing a blank. So never fear I plan on keeping my promise of longer chapters but you might not get another update untill the end of the month. Thanks for reading!**


	19. Chapter 17

**Hey people! extra long chapter as thanks for putting up with me :3 i'm going to camp for the next week so no more updates untill i get back. To all the lovelys who review YOU ROCK! COOKIES FOR ALL! i wont have wifi so i wont be able to respond to any of you untill i get back. To my (LAZY) artist i'll for relz send you fundip if you get some more artwork for all the lovely readers. whell thats it for the authors note R&R**

* * *

We follow Alicia into the house, Frosty's in hand. None of us quite know what to expect. Alicia carries Al to the house military-style, and Francis opens the door for her. She leads the way into the living room. The room goes silent as England, Francis, and myself are greeted by several teenagers and a child playing poker around a coffee table.

"States!" Alicia barks after she tosses Alfred's unconscious mass onto an empty chair. They all stop what they're doing and look towards her. _Well, now I know who the responsible one in this bunch is._ I hear a variety of remarks said under their breath.

"_Great._ It's the fuzz."

"_Shit!_ Cali, hide the cash and I'll split it!"

"She better not do another random drug test…"  
"Who are they?"

"_Damn,_ if all the countries are this hot, I'm gonna have fun!"

Alicia either doesn't hear the comments, or disregards them, although I believe the former is more accurate.

"This is France, England, and Canada." Alicia points to each of us as she speaks. "But right now, we've got bigger problems. Cali, did you bring your medical kit?" A young girl who I assume is 'Cali', or California, stands up.

"Yeah, but why?" To this Alicia says,

"Prepare a guest room. Dad's comatose again." After a collective gasp from the states and several worried glances towards Al, England breaks the moment of silence.

"Might one of you be so kind as to tell me what the _bloody hell is going on?!_" One of the teenage girls comes over to us, smiling brightly, like some sort of flight attendant.

"Hi, I'm Lucy. I'm also known as Lady Luck, or the state of Nevada." She looks over her shoulder as if checking for a go ahead. "Okay, Cali and Alicia have some hard work ahead of them, so while we wait, how about I explain what I can, and answer as many questions as I'm able to?" She smiles again, but no matter how hard I try, I can't get a good read on her. I nod and we follow her into a bedroom. Francis, who had stayed silent this entire time, speaks up.

"Bonjour, mon cher. I am Francis Bonnefoy, pleased to make your acquaintance. Sorry to be so forward, but would you mind explaining?" She looks at us with an unreadable expression, and I notice the deck of cards in her hands. She's doing the most amazing card tricks I have ever seen, but it looks like a reflex, not something she's controlling.

"I'm afraid that depends on what you want to know and what you already know." I feel a sharp pain deep in my stomach, twisting and shredding me apart from the inside. A surprised and pained cry escapes my mouth. Lucy immediately turns her attention to me. "Crap! I didn't expect the link to break this quickly!" She exclaims, guiding me to sit on the bed as England hands me an unopened water bottle from the nightstand. He then speaks.

"How about this 'link' you mentioned, start there. It's as good a place as any." She leaves and returns with an easily set up table, and a barstool. She sets up the table facing the bed. Francis sits next to me, and she motions for Arthur to take the barstool as she sits down on a desk chair.

"Hope you don't mind, this isn't exactly the simplest subject, and I think better in my element." Lucy explains quickly, shuffling the cards expertly between her hands, making them look like their floating before slapping them all together and spreading them out into one long strip on the table.

"Which is..?" England asks curiously. She looks almost offended at the confused question.

"_Really?_ And here I thought _you'd_ be the smart one." She snickers.

"Hey! I take offense to that!" England scowls. Lucy turns her attention to Francis.

"Care to venture a guess, pretty boy?" Francis lights up at the nickname, giving a large smirk.

"Nevada, as in Reno and Vegas?" He guesses, and she gives him a grin in response.

"It looks like you _do_ have some brains in there." She winks. "Got a partner? Boyfriend, girlfriend, I don't judge. To answer your question, yes. My element is control, and who has more power than the house? Lady Luck, at your service~" She finally turns to me, sending me a wink as well. "Now, what's your poison, Matthew? Blackjack or poker?" I'm a bit shocked when she addresses me. _How does she know about card games, gambling? She only looks to be sixteen or seventeen, not old enough to work in a casino… How does she know I like blackjack and poker?_

"How did you..." I start, but never finish.

"Let's just say that not all of us follow Daddy's rules." She riddles, before explaining. "I met Prussia a while back. You're his 'Little Birdie', right?"

"Yeah." I confirm. "Um, blackjack?" She begins to shuffle and deal the cards without looking down. Francis, finally finding his voice, says,

"Oui, I'm taken. Now, mon Cher, explain." She chuckles, then snaps back to her unreadable expression.

"Where to begin..." She whispers, toying with her thoughts, before finally plucking one out. "Okay, let's start with the basics. Daddy, or Alfred, is your twin, correct?" She questions me. I nod. "It's common knowledge that twins share a special connection. I won't go into that right now, but it's less known that twin personifications share a link deeper than that. Am I good so far?" We nod.

"Yeah," I conclude, "if I concentrate, I can go as far as read Al's mind, but I don't usually. What's that got to do with anything?" She pauses, and goes back to the card game for a few moments, dealing another card to players who request them in turn. "Well… _Crap._" She cusses. "I hadn't intended to explain this, but I might as well. When you two were discovered by England and France, you were taught that you represent different land masses, correct?" I nod in agreement. "And you," she points to England, "tried to shelter him from the witch trials in Salem, correct?" He gave a curt nod. "Well, Daddy, always being the defiant, adventurous one, waited until you went home, and went to see them for himself. Simply put, he was horrified. That was a very traumatic experience for him. He tracked down the person responsible. That person, or thing – honestly, I'm not sure _what_ to call it – was named Rave. Even back then, Rave was a deplorable sort of person." She halts, and looks down, finally looking at the cards. She glances back up, and glares each one of us in the eyes. "I really shouldn't know this information, so if you tell this to another soul, I'll have you all killed repeatedly, as you can't die." I half expect her to be joking, but it's clear in her blue eyes that she isn't, not on her life. She finally goes back to shuffling cards.

"Well, Alfred didn't want to get in trouble for going exploring, so he tried to block you from his thoughts. He was so pleased it worked that he went back to Salem a few weeks later. His curiosity not satisfied, he confronted Rave with an apprentice he befriended. They were kidnapped. Both being young children, they didn't realize they were being drugged, until it was too late. When they awoke, they were in iron chains, shackled to a wall in a cellar of some kind. He left them there for two days without food or water. They spent the first day crying for their parents, for their guardians, and especially for you, England. He was afraid that if you knew he was in trouble, you'd come and get captured as well, so he tried to be brave." She clears her throat, trying to sound indifferent. "The sadistic asshole finally gave them water and food, but it was drugged as well. He was planning on holding them for ransom. When he asked who to call for their freedom, Dad gave the name of the governor at the time, and said he was taking care of both of them. Rave let them go, fearing the worst if he was caught with the children of a government official. Dad ran to the governor's house, and he tried to have the man arrested, but Rave was gone. Disappeared.

"Over the years, Rave would turn up as the culprit to various problems and tragic events, using different names. Decades later, after Matthew and Dad separated, Dad realized that, like himself, Rave never got old and died. At first he thought it was just his descendants, but one day, Rave kidnapped him again. While in captivity Rave questioned Dad as to why he didn't age. He said that dad wasn't one of his kind, and questioned him until he told Rave that he was a country. Rave had never heard of a personification, so over the years and decades, the two would butt heads. Rave nearly always won. He tested Dad every which way; hurt him, steal money and priceless possessions, threaten his family and friends... Anything to get what he wanted." She stops there, the three of us sharing horrified expressions. She gathers the cards from the last game that we weren't really paying attention to in the first place, and once again begins those handheld card tricks that come so naturally to her.

"After Dad won the Revolutionary War – which, by the way, was so Rave couldn't hold England over his head anymore, just as much as it was about his independence – Mother Nature had tried to step up several times; but Rave isn't a personification, so she doesn't have any power over him. She decided, even though Dad was too young at the time, to teach him magic. Little babies were popping up everywhere through magic, so she had a little time before it became necessity. She would bring us to Daddy, tell him what state we were and then leave." While I was processing all this information, England spoke up.

"What do you mean, 'through magic'?" Lucy glares at him.

"I was getting to that, and England, you know _very well_ what I'm talking about. Quit hoping your wrong, and listen." She sighs, and addresses us all. "I'll explain it for those who are unaware; magic is a life force that flows parallel to your actual life force. Eternal beings can build upon this reserve and make use of it. Most of this occurs subconsciously; an example is our rapid healing ability. Some nations have a more developed ability, and can knowingly tap into it. Even then, it's usually unintentional, a good example of that is twins. Twins can sense each other and communicate by unknowingly accessing their magic. Older, more experienced nations who know of its existence, like Russia, China, Grease, and England, can manipulate it. Magic can be understood as an advanced science; complicated and intricate, yet you use it even if you don't think you are. Another thing dictated by magic is a person's ability to see or be aware of spirits and supernatural creatures. Usually, if you can see or are aware of them, then you can grow to control magic. I'm told England can cast simple spells and Greece can talk to cats. In all actuality, Dad's hundreds of years too young and immature to even consider using magic-" I decide to cut in.

"Okay, that sounds plausible. England, is it true?" I look to England.

"Spot on, I'm afraid. But what she said about Alfred is also true, so, mind continuing?" She stops her cards and looks away from us. "After all fifteen original states were around, and Dad was just getting used to everything-" Francis cut in.

"Pardon, but originally were there not only thirteen states? Who are the other two?" She looks back to us.

"Finally!" She sighs in relief. "An easy question. New York is actually the New York's; they're twins, Alice and Clair. They both represent the entire state of New York, but one likes the city, and one prefers the country. Then… there's Franklin." She looks away again. "When the states were physically five – or six, in some cases – Dad decided to let them stay in their respective states, so he could go back to the capital and get back to work. Rave killed Franklin. He was the only male among them, and when he died, Dad was devastated. Mother Nature tried to reincarnate him or revive him, but she was powerless. This, of course, is a shortened version of events, but you get the point. America was still practically an infant as a country, and she wasn't willing to risk his existence and teach him about magic… But once he made the Louisiana Purchase, she didn't really have a choice in the matter." Francis jumps in once more.

"What does that have to do with anything?" She sighs audibly, and continues.

"After that purchase, all of a sudden there were more children, and a huge spike in Rave attacks. Mother Nature would show up more often, and help as much as she could, but she couldn't pick favorites, so she would never stay long with any state. She decided that if she couldn't protect Dad, he'd have to learn to protect himself, if he wanted any chance of protecting us. She offered to train him and he immediately agreed. He would disappear for months at a time, and would limp back, always wounded, and so tired he slept for three days straight." England cuts in again.

"This is all very enlightening, but how is it you know all this? It sounds like all of this happened before you existed." Lucy satires him down.

"I told you _not to ask._" There was a knock on the door, and Lucy immediately responds. "Who is it?" A voice from the other side replies.

"Dude, it's Collin and Lilo! Open up! I've got an update and Lilo's got a Frosty for you!" Lucy quickly opens the door and ushers the pair into the room. One's a small girl I'd guess no more than seven or eight. The other is a young man. Lucy speaks again.

"England, France, Canada; meet my littlest sister, Hawaii." She steps forward slowly.

"Aloha, you can call me Lilo." She hands Lucy a Frosty and after a quick hug, leaves the room.

"Even though Alaska just arrived, Lilo is still the youngest. Alaska will grow at a human rate until the two of them are the same physical age. And this is Colorado." He steps forward and speaks up.

"'Sup. You can call me Collin. Okay, I've got a status update on Dad. Not the worst he's ever been, but he'll be out cold for the next four days or so before he can travel again. Not such a bad thing, all considered. So, you going to be killjoys or...?" I can smell the weed from across the room. I give the boy a cheeky smile.

"Eh, I'm Canadian. Under twenty-two ounces and you're good." I inform, before my smile widens even more. "Make some brownies, and you're _golden._" Collin smiles.

"You know what Lucy, I think I like this dude! I'm gonna give Olivia the go ahead! Lucy, want anything? From what I can gather you'll be preoccupied for a while." Lucy rolls her eyes.

"Some Jell-O shots." She points to Francis and I. "Red wine?" I'm about to answer, but she just nods, and I realize her questioning is rhetorical. "Yeah, grab one of Cali's bottles. And England, rum or whiskey? Never mind, whiskey. Also, I'll take one of those brownies, and make sure Alicia doesn't catch you. _Again._" Collin smirks.

"Got it. You want vodka or tequila shots?" I'm very amused by the conversation. England, however, is baffled.

"Are you _really_ discussing alcohol and drugs as if it's _normal?_" Lucy laughs briefly.

"Yeah, I guess we are! At least, it is rather normal, in our family." She returns her attention to her brother. "Collin, make a suicide pitcher. Check if Whitney has any of Alabama's moonshine left, and if she does, add that too! Now get outta here!" He walks out of the room. I turn towards her for some form of explanation. "That was Collin, our resident drug dealer. He's the state of Colorado, as I have said. He has a lot of emotional baggage, and only a vague handle on separating his thoughts from those of his people. Those dorky goggles he wears? His Rave attack left him nearly blind." She explains, before lowering her voice. "We all have our little _'hobbies'_. Just don't be a buzz kill, and we'll get along swimmingly. Lilo is the youngest and most innocent, but don't let her fool you; she's got a lot on her mind too. You'll find that most of us are party animals of varying intensity. Alicia is Captain Buzz Kill or General Killjoy, depending on who you ask. She's Little Miss Military. She likes things by the book, follows the law to the letter. But that also means that she knows the value of information, and won't give it up so easily. She's reliable and great in a fight, but that results in her being somewhat dense. Sure, she gets around, and has her one night stands like the rest of us, but she's not exactly a people person." She shakes her head, like her sister is a lost cause of some sort.

"But back to Dad. Apparently, the first part of his 'training' was being trapped in mind fields, thrown into unfamiliar land, and left alone in magic wellsprings. The theory behind this was that if he was left alone in areas with high concentrations of supernatural and magical beings, he would strengthen his ability to see them. Dad's always been able to sense spirits and magical creatures, but he can't see them – or rather, couldn't at the time. Ghosts are notoriously easier, so that's what he started with. Being trapped in an unknown place, limited resources, surrounded by strange creatures you can't see for more than a few seconds at a time… Is it really a wonder that he still carries a fear of ghosts? After a few years, Mother Nature decided that the damage being done to both his body and subconscious wasn't worth it. She stopped the foolishness for a few years. The girls on the east coast took care of him.

When Lewis and Clark went exploring in the west, dad and his idiotic sense of adventure went with them. Apparently, a trip cross country was just what the doctor ordered. He grew stronger both as a person and as a nation. When he returned, he could tell when a magical creature was near him. He couldn't see them, but it was a start. He kept building on that momentum, inching ahead. He also got bolder as a country, building relations, welcoming immigrants, and inventing. After the Alamo, he was pretty beat up, but his girls kept his personality alive, and took on a lot of his responsibilities, so he would bounce back in order.

"Then, the Civil War happened. Not only were his children fighting against each other, his lands were quite literally split in two. I can talk easily about this for two reasons. First, Dad's unconscious, and second, Cali and I really didn't play as big a role as most of our siblings. It's still a sore subject between them, in fact. During the height of the war, Rave showed up again, said that he would represent the confederate states, if such a pathetic teen couldn't even control his brats over a small, pointless dispute over slavery. None of the confederate states accepted him, but in the midst of war they had better things to do than fight over power or figureheads. After the north won and Dad finally stopped getting injured and bleeding from every battle, Rave went back on the hunt. His attacks grew stronger, harder to predict, and more violent. Dad was helpless.

"After the war, he more or less forced Mother Nature to teach him something, anything, to keep us safe. At the time, some of us were still infants, Dad couldn't bear that we had to receive every blow to our economy. He performed a blanket spell. What he did was manipulate our magical streams so that any negative effects that we might endure will be greatly decreased, and when we get together the voices of our people got softer, and thinking for ourselves became clearer and easier. I can't even tell you how large the burden that was lifted off out shoulders was when he did that. When he saw what a success it was, he begged for more. After a year, with the first spell still in effect, she broke down and taught him the cloning spell. The cloning spell creates an almost mindless replica of Dad. At first, he thought it was a mistake, but after a few times he realized that that's just how it is. The side effects became obvious. Comas, blackouts, weak, sickly, and if he's attacked, he doesn't heal as fast as she should. It's not good. And unless you want the details of Rave attacks which, by the way, you either ask on a person to person basis or not at all… I think that's everything." She pauses, before suddenly shouting,

"Collin! Where are my brownies and Jell-o shots?!" The boy then proceeds to enter the room, carrying a tray.

"Chill, sis! I was just waiting for you to finish. I brought the pitcher, did you want '_sugar'_?" He winks suggestively, and it doesn't take a scientist to figure out that the 'sugar' isn't sweetener at all. She ignores the offer, and takes the assorted beverages off and passes them around.

"Cali still in doctor mode? No, scratch that, these brownies are still warm. She's definitely still in doctor mode. And you should know better." Her joking scolds turn deadly serious. "Offer me cocaine _one more time,_ and both you and Robert will find yourself trapped in the Malibu beach house, mister. I snuck into restricted airspace in my state without permission." I must look confused, because while we sit, sipping our drinks, processing all the information, Collin speaks up.

"If you're going to stick around, you're going to need the four-one-one. _Robert!_" Another boy walks in.

"Present and dangerous, sir!" He mockingly salutes, sending Lucy a wink.

"Dude, our time has come! Yo, this is my homeboy Robert, state of New Mexico. Now, while Lucy here gets drunk off her ass from all those memories, we're gonna tell you about everybody in the house." I look over at the girl who is presently getting drunk. _They said it would be about a week before Alfred's ready to travel?_

This is going to be a long night.


	20. Authors note 2

**Aloha my amazing readers~ I just got back From the middle of NO-FRICKEN-WHERE! Aka a Girl Scout (that's right Girl Scout and proud) summer camp week long program in the middle of the mountains with no cell or Internet service. You won't get a new chapter for another week but hey, I've now completed CIT 1 (counselor in training 1) go me! To all the lovely reviewers one LOVE YOU GUYS! #1 yeah I'm aware Delaware wasn't the first state (I DID take elementary history class) but for the sake of the story (read: I have a plan don't sweat the small stuff) Delaware was his first kid. #2 WHEN DID I EVER SAY AMERICA WAS A GOOD PARENT SO I CAN GO BACK AND FIX IT?! America had 15 newborns to take care of when he was like, 17? Yeah physically and probably mentally. Add that to his rapidly changing condition as a newly formed country and that little detail I added that HE LET HIS KIDS LIVE ON THERE OWN WHEN THEY WERE 5 and 6 and yeah he's not winning and parenting awards. He did the best he could and he couldn't ask for help a FREKEN INHUMAN MAGICAL(?) Creature NAMED RAVE KEPT TORMENTING HIM AND HIS FAMILY! #3 in regards to the personalities of the states thus far, the story/plot line answer to that is the states kinda got there own personalities and morphed into a combo of that and stereotypes of people in there state. Besides this story wouldn't be HALF as interesting if all the states didn't have unique personalities it makes it more fun both to write and read. Well that's that. You guys rock thanks sooo much!**


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